


Joshua Noble

by Belindaduvessa



Series: Time Rewritten [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-13
Updated: 2015-11-01
Packaged: 2018-03-01 06:18:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 46
Words: 58,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2762789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Belindaduvessa/pseuds/Belindaduvessa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor left Rose Tyler and his Meta-crisis in the other Universe.  This is their story</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bad Wolf Bay

**Bad Wolf Bay**

Bad Wolf Bay was a miserable sight. Grey sand and rocks littered the landscape. The air was crisp, damp, and cut to the bone. He wasn’t shaking from the cold. He was angry and frustrated. Yes, he had been left with the woman he, no they, loved. But he had been abandoned by his creators. Cast aside because he did what the others were not willing to do. And because of his actions, his Rose was also being punished. Sentenced to life with him. She was given a choice and had chosen him. But neither of them were fooled. He would have made the same decision for the both of them, forcefully, if he had to. Life wasn’t fair.

Speaking of the woman he loved, she looked as numb as he felt. The Doctor and Donna had left while she was busy kissing him. He hadn't noticed until he heard the engines. Now, Rose was perfectly still, staring where the TARDIS had just sat. Tears streaked her face, but they were silent. She was silent. He touched her shoulder, bringing her back to awareness but she smiled. It was a small, tentative smile, almost shy. She held out her hand and wiggled her fingers. His smile engulfed his face. She smiled bigger, letting the tip of her tongue poke through.

“Stuck with you, that's not so bad,” she said.

“Better with two,” he replied, softly.

 


	2. The Journey Home

**The Journey Home**

Luckily, both Rose and Jackie had remembered to bring their cell phones. Of course, Pete wouldn't be able to get the zeppelin to them for several hours. The three of them started the long trek to Bergen. It would take a bit for a taxi to get there, but Pete assured them he'd stressed to the driver how important it was that they hurry to get these passengers. Pete also took the liberty of securing shelter for the night. He insisted that Jackie call if she thought of anything else.

The ride to the hotel itself was quiet. The occasional text message to both Rose and Jackie but otherwise, no one seemed to want to talk. Rose sat in between the Doctor and Jackie and even when she had to answer the phone, she never took her hand out of his.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

They shuffled tiredly into the hotel. Pete had only gotten them two rooms, which meant someone would have to stay together. Jackie didn't give them the chance to argue. She took a key, then shoved the other at Rose.

“You two go ahead and take the room together. Get cleaned up, then catch up. Or get sleep. I don't really care. But Lord knows I'm exhausted so don't try bothering me until in the morning.”

Rose smiled gratefully at her Mum. For someone who used to be so against the Doctor and the “dangers” he put her daughter through, marrying this world's Pete had opened her eyes a bit. Aliens, and even invasions, were an every day part of her life now. She knew to take advantage of a good situation when it was handed to her.

Rose jangled the keys in front of the Doctor's face, getting his attention.

“C'mon you, she's right. You look about dead on your feet. Let's get cleaned up, then sleep, yeah?”

He nodded mutely as he let her lead him up the stairs. Entering their shared room, he wasn't sure what surprised him more. The fact that Jackie and willingly given them a room with only one bed, or the clothes that were laid out on the bed for them both.

“Mum filled Pete in briefly. She requested clothes for all of us, as well as some sort of take out for dinner.”

“How in the world did he get my dimensions?” Rose snorted and rolled her eyes.

“You know, there was a time where I worked in a shop. I do still know how to guess a person's size. Besides, who do you think dressed you when you were useless after your last Regeneration?” She smiled, tongue in teeth and disappeared into the en suite before he had a change to respond.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

She let the water cascade over her body. The pounding of the water drown the sounds of her tears as she cried. She'd worked so hard to get back to him and once again, he'd made the choice for her. Yes, she had kissed this one, but he didn't have to leave without saying goodbye! Either of them! She'd gotten to know and care about Donna during this whole ordeal and why would she turn her back like that as well?

And what about this one? Would staying here on Earth be enough for him, or would he get the itch to run away as well? Would he try to stand beside her as her partner or would he do like he always did and make the decisions for her? And the biggest question she had: Would she be enough for him now that he was stuck on Earth?

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

The Doctor paced the room while Rose showered. No matter how loud the water was, he could still hear her crying through the walls. He wanted nothing more than to go in there to comfort her, but did he really have the right? Yes, she'd kissed him on that beach, but she'd spent all that time trying to get back to the other him, the Time Lord. His mind was just as sharp as the others'. More so with the added ingenuity of being human (thank you Donna!). But would that be enough?

He had nothing to give her but himself. No Time or Space. No adventures. Just himself, as a man. And that's what scared him the most. That he wouldn't be man, or Time Lord, enough for her.

Before he would delve further into any more self-destructive thoughts, he heard the water turn off in the en suite. One way or another, those questions would be answered within the next few hours.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

When she emerged from the en suite, she felt much better. Somehow, between the tears and the worrying, she came to several conclusions.

  1. That the Doctor left her here, not from rejection, but to give her a chance at a normal life.

  2. She had found him, and, even though the Time Lord never said it, she did know how he felt.

  3. Even though the Time Lord hadn't stayed, he'd still left her with himself.




This might not have happened like she imagined it would. She imagined she would spend the rest of her life on the TARDIS. But she would try to spend the rest of her life with the man she was given. _Her Doctor._

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

When he emerged from the en suite, food was waiting. She smiled widely at him, and the insecurities that had been building since they'd landed, started to dissipate.

They ate, joking and laughing, like no time had passed at all. After they had cleaned their mess, they lay on the bed, facing one another. They traded stories of their time apart. He carefully avoided the Year that Never Was. He wasn't quite ready to relive that yet. She avoided stories that recounted her worst injuries. Injuries that she barely had scars for, and no real explanation as to why she didn't scar. An unspoken agreement, they kept the topics light-hearted. Eventually, sleep claimed them both.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

When they woke, it was to the sound of Jackie pounding on their door, telling them that the zeppelin was here. They'd moved in the night. He was laying on his back. She was tucked into his side, her head on his shoulder. Despite how abruptly they were woken, neither really wanted to move. It wasn't until Rose became uncomfortable and had to go to the bathroom that they untangled themselves and got ready for the day. He longed to put his suit back on, but opted instead for the jeans and shirt that Pete had gotten for him. He took a breath, and let it out slowly. Yes, he was the Doctor, but he was also someone different. Maybe, he should try to build an identity that was uniquely his own.

Pete met them at the zeppelin. He was only mildly surprised to see the Doctor, but he greeted him warmly. Jackie soon took all of Pete's attention. See that the coast was clear, so to speak, Rose led the Doctor to one of the observation windows. They stood there, admiring the scenery for a bit, before she decided to talk.

“I know this has got to be difficult for you. It is for me, if I'm honest. But I made my choice. I just wanted you to know that.” She chanced a glance at him, and his eyes were wide in wonder.

“Why in the world would you choose me over him? I have nothing, Rose.”

“I didn't need the TARDIS or all of Time and Space. All I ever needed was you. And like it or not, you're the same man. You just have different futures now.” His eyes looked vulnerable, and his brow creased as if he were thinking.

“And how do you see my future, Rose Tyler?”

“It's going to be fantastic.”

He couldn't help agreeing with that.

 


	3. A Quiet Night

**A Quiet Night**

Jackie thought it odd that the Doctor was so quiet and withdrawn. Through the car ride, and the ride on the zeppelin, he'd mostly stared out the window. Had it been anyone else, she would have thought he was suffering from some sort of shock. But this was the Doctor, and he melded into new situations seamlessly.

Rose finally had to excuse herself, and Jackie took the opportunity to talk to him.

“Doctor, you alright?” She kept her voice low and even. He blinked rapidly before slowly turning his head towards her. He considered lying to her, to tell her that he was always alright. But the concern in her eyes prompted him to answer her truthfully.

“I feel like I'm dreaming, and when I wake up, none of you will be here.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” Before he could react, she enveloped him in a hug. It wasn't the bone crushing hugs he'd gotten used to when they visited. If he had to describe it, he would call it motherly. That didn't fit with how he envisioned Jackie Tyler, though, and he almost fought her off. Another part of him, though, melted into this hug. He was finally home, with his family, because that's what they were. And a part of him felt so, so sorry for his Time Lord counter-part, who was undoubtedly alone by now.

He felt Rose's hand in his, and sat up. He looked around the zeppelin and took in the faces. Each face mirrored his own. Happiness that they were all alive, and together. And he felt for the first time in centuries, that he was home.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

“So, Rose, are you and the Doctor coming to the mansion tonight?” Rose points to the Doctor, who is looking out the windows again. They were finally over England and were soon to be in London.

“It's up to him, really.” He scrunched his face, thinking about it for a moment.

“I kind of assumed we would be. I didn't know that Rose had her own place.”

“But do you want to was the question.”

“I...no? Can I say no?” Rose and Jackie exchange a look while Pete just shook his head. Finally, the silent conversation between the women stopped, and Jackie left the room. The Doctor glanced between Rose and Pete.

“We're going to go to my place tonight, Dad.” Pete stared after his wife before nodding once.

“Ah. Let me go talk to her.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

After Pete left, Rose and the Doctor were alone again. By their silent agreement the night before, both kept the conversation light. The conversation eventually turned towards their dinner plans for the night.

“Obviously some sort of take-out. I'm not sure how long we were gone, but I made sure to clean all of the food out of the flat before leaving.” Rose chewed on her lip, a nervous gesture that she'd never quite grown out of.

“Weell-” He made sure to draw out the word, making Rose smile. He smiled back, pleased with himself before he finished his sentence. “-why don't we do an old favorite?”

“Chips?”

“Chips. But I'm sorry to inform you, my lady, that I have no worldly possessions.” Rose snorted at his antics.

“So what you're saying is, I have to pay again?”

“Yep!” The Doctor popped the 'p' in his pronunciation, another habit that made Rose smile. Another habit that made her believe that this was the same man after all.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

They departed the zeppelin quickly, each hardly able to wait to get home. Jackie seemed to be in a much better mood. She hugged and kissed both the Doctor and Rose. The Doctor made a face of mild disgust, which made everyone laugh. Secretly, he was please, but he probably would never let Jackie know.

Rose rented a car from the airport to drive them home. The Doctor offered to drive, but Rose declined. She knew exactly where they were going and what stops to make. The Doctor pouted for a moment, but a quick kiss from Rose made him smile again.

They decided to eat outside the chippy so the chips would still be hot. The Doctor's impatience led him to burn his fingers. Their conversation winded down many different roads but eventually came to the decision of his wardrobe.

“What's wrong with my suit?”

“Nothing is wrong with your suit. But you need a bit of variety. You won't be gallivanting across time and space any more. People will judge you based on your clothing.”

“I don't really care what people think.” He grumbled and pouted. He loved his suit!

“I care what they think. Look, I'm not saying no suits. I'm just asking that you pick a variety of different clothes. You never know...you might actually like it.”

The Doctor scrunched his nose. He didn't think he would ever like anything other than his suit. But then he looked down. He was wearing jeans and a jumper, very reminiscent of his last self. That brought up a question in his mind. Did Rose want him to change? He had thought she liked this version of himself. Did she want the past version more?

The more he thought, the more depressed and agitated he became. His mind wandered from his clothes, to his career. Now that he was stuck on the slow path, he would need a job of some sort. Not just for his own sanity, either. He knew from experience how catastrophic it could be for him to be stationary. Trouble had a tendency to find him.

Before he could ponder his new life further, they had arrived at Rose's flat.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

When they arrived at her apartment building, the doorman greeted Rose before handing her back her key.

“Jackie called ahead. She said you didn't decide to leave after all. Your things are where you left them.” Rose nodded before starting to walk off. The doorman stopped her by clearing his throat.

“Will the gentleman be a frequent guest?” Rose pursed her lips together, before smiling.

“Yeah, he'll be staying with me as well.”

“Spectacular. I'll make sure that the manager gets you another key made.”

The ride up the elevator was made in silence. Rose was growing more and more concerned as the night progressed. The Doctor seemed to be withdrawing into himself. Depression in the first him was a fairly common occurrence. She wasn't used to seeing it with her pinstriped Doctor. Then again, could he still be called her pinstriped Doctor? The entire situation left her confused and it was probably much worse for him. She decided then and there that she would make the rest of his life worth living.

Inside the door, she stopped him. She reached up, caressing his face. He leaned into her touch, nuzzling her hand.

“We'll be fine, Doctor. You'll see.” She took him on a short tour of the flat. The flat was small, but cozy. It was a two bedroom, two bath apartment in a very posh part of the neighborhood. She went to her bedroom and started unpacking the few things she took with her. He hovered in the doorway, unsure of what to do with himself.

“I don't bite, you know.” She threw him a cheeky, tongue-touched grin. He responded with a grin of his own.

“I don't...I'm not sure what to do with myself. This is your home.”

“This is where I lived, but it was never a home. Home was wherever you were. Maybe now that you're here, we can make it a home together.” He smiled at her warmly and strode across the room. The Doctor engulfed her in his arms and buried his face in her hair. His Rose always knew what to say.

“C'mon now, Doctor. Let's get ready for bed. I'm still knackered and we have a big day tomorrow.”

“What do we have to do tomorrow?”

“Shopping! Then dinner with my folks.”

“Oh, shopping sounds like it might be a bit fun. Can we skip the part with your mum, though?”

“No, already promised her we'd be there. Now c'mon, time for bed.”

“I'm not really tired.”

“That's fine, really. But, could you stay here with me, at least until I fall asleep?”

“I..yeah, I can do that.” They both stripped down and changed. The Doctor was a bit self conscious, but Rose seemed to not be bothered.

Once she was in the bed, she patted the spot beside her. He settled in the bed. He seemed not to know what to do with himself, so Rose made the decision for him. She scooted her back towards the middle of the bed and draped his arm around her waist. It took him a moment before his arms were wrapped tightly around her and their bodies molded together.

“Thank you, for staying with me.”

“I'll stay with you always.”

They fall asleep, for the first time in their shared flat, small smiles on their faces.

 


	4. Job Offers

**Job Offers**

The Doctor eased out of bed, trying desperately not to wake his sleeping companion. Now that the remnants of the regeneration had worn off a bit, he felt a bit more like himself. Oh, he knew his new body would act differently. Each new body did, but this one would be the first that was part human. For the first time since he was created, he was still enough to take inventory of his new body.

He made his way to the living room and sat on the couch. He closed his eyes and turned his gaze inward. He already knew about the one heart. His respiratory bypass seemed to also be missing. He sucked in a deep breath and held it. The burn of not breathing took hold almost immediately. He pushed it away, trying to gauge how well his lungs worked. The Doctor managed to hold his breath for a solid four minutes before he gasped for air again. Longer than the typical human, so there was at least that.

His immune system still seemed to be very good. Maybe not as good as his Time Lord body, but he didn't figure he would have to worry about getting sick. Well, at least not as quickly.

Just as he was about to catalog his mind, he heard a scream come from the bedroom. The Doctor launched himself from the couch and ran. What he saw almost froze his single heart.

Rose was sprawled on the bed, body tense, fighting something unseen. She was screaming, like she was in pain. The Doctor jumped into action quickly. He scrambled atop the bed, pinning her limps to the bed so she couldn't hit him. This seemed to only make her thrash more. He leaned in, placing his lips next to her ear.

“Rose, love, wake up. It's just a nightmare.” Rose whimpered, but immediately started calming. The Doctor untangled their limbs, and held Rose tightly to his chest. “Oh, if I'd known you had nightmares, I wouldn't have left the room. I've got you. I've got you and I'm never letting go.”

Rose breathing slowly became normal as he rocked her. The Doctor soothed her with softly spoken words and light caresses. Once she was calm again, the Doctor situated himself beneath the covers. So long as she had these nightmares, he vowed he would stay in the room with her. Maybe, eventually, her nightmares would fade. The Doctor took in her sleeping form. Laying with her, he decided, was not the worst way to spend one's night.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

The bright morning sun shining through her bedroom windows is what finally woke Rose. The night before, she had neglected to shut her blackout blinds. It was just as well, really. They had a long day ahead of them.

Rose turned in the bed, seeking out her partner. She was greeted with chocolate brown and a warm smile. Rose couldn't help but smile in return.

“How are you feeling this morning?” The concern in his voice was evident. She opened her mouth to reply that she was fine, but a heaviness in her throat stopped her. Rose tried to swallow, but her throat was killing her. She looked at the Doctor, her face scrunched in confusion.

“You had a nightmare last night. I left the bed for a bit and you started screaming. I managed to get you calm but not before you screamed yourself raw.”

Rose nodded then cleared her throat. It still ached, but not nearly as bad as when she originally woke.

“I'll be fine in a bit, promise.” It was the Doctor's turn to look at her quizzically. “These nightmares happen every night, Doctor. It will take no more than thirty minutes for my throat to be back in working order.”

“You didn't have them at the hotel.”

“No, I wouldn't have. I've trained my body to go into a dreamless sleep when not at home. It doesn't do well to hear the boss screaming if she happens to fall asleep at work or on a field mission.” The Doctor looked mildly impressed.

“It takes quite a bit of will power and mind control to manage that. Even I couldn't always get it right.” She smiled, but it was a sad, far-away look.

“There are a number of things that have happened to me, Doctor. I'm no longer the nineteen year old shop girl from the Estates. I've seen things and done things you wouldn't believe. And I've learned things about myself that I never thought were possible. And one day I might even tell you some of it. But not today.” She got out of bed slowly. Rose wouldn't admit it, but her body was still a bit sore from the nightmares.

“Are you sure you're alright, Rose?” She smiled ruefully. The Doctor can't see it. Her back was to him.

“I'm always alright.” It was like a slap in the face. Rose fled the room before he could respond.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

After Rose fled, he sat on the edge of the bed, dumbfounded. Of all the traits Rose could have gained from him, why that one? Rose had always been truthful with him. Brutally so, on certain occasions. But Rose had always been one of his best friends. The Doctor ran his hands over his face. A right pair they were.

The Doctor dressed into his suit slowly, trying to give Rose time to herself. When he padded to the kitchen, Rose was nowhere to be found. He scrounged through the cabinets, looking for something to eat. He ended up making two bowls of instant oatmeal. The Doctor was taking the second bowl out of the microwave when Rose made an appearance. She smiled gratefully at him before sitting down and eating.

“You know, Rose, we should probably hit Tesco's before coming in tonight. These cupboards are pretty bare.”

“I'm surprised you found even this much. I practically lived off take-out or the cafeteria at Torchwood. I didn't think I had anything edible in this place.”

“Well, I'm not sure about you, but I think a few home-cooked meals would do us both good. What do you say, Rose?”

“And who will be doing the cooking? If you've forgotten, I burn water. And I distinctly remember a certain Time Lord who burnt toast trying to feed me when I was sick.”

“Oi! I'll have you know Rose that I am an excellent cook!” The Doctor looked slightly affront by her disbelief. “Just because I never cooked before doesn't mean I can't. It was just more convenient to eat wherever we were. Besides, I enjoyed showing you new cuisine. You seemed to enjoy it as well.”

Rose smiled at him before getting up and washing her bowl. He followed her to the sink and rinsed his bowl out as well.

“You're right, Doctor. I did enjoy it. But I think you're probably right. A few good meals here at home would probably do me good. But don't you think we're getting a bit domestic here?”

“Rose Tyler.” His voice dropped and he stepped close, placing his mouth at her ear. “You are the one person I could see myself becoming domestic with. I _**have**_ seen myself be domestic with. Fantasized about it. Don't question my sincerity or my devotion to you. I'm yours, however you'll take me.”

The Doctor stepped away from her, leaving her breathless. Wordlessly, she followed him from the flat and out into the world.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

The Doctor, much to Rose's delight and his horror, absolutely adored shopping. Maybe adore wasn't the correct word, but he was extremely enthusiastic about it. It only took them about ten minutes to find more suits similar to what he already had. He ended up getting three. One was his customary brown with blue pinstripes. He got another blue, but the stripes were white. The last was black with white stripes. They didn't have his customary bigger-on-the-inside pockets. He wasn't sure yet how he would manage that. Then again, after the incident with the Judoon on the Moon, he made sure to have a couple of spare sonics. If he were lucky, one of those would be in his blue suit.

He also bought henley's and ties in an assortment of colors. No one would be able to claim that his wardrobe was boring. He bought his customary trainers to match each of his suits. Once his “armor”, as Rose jokingly called it, was situated, she drug him to the casual section. After much moping and pouting on his part, he began to enjoy himself. He enthusiastically modeled for Rose. He tried jeans and khakis as well as polos and t-shirts. He even modeled a pair of pajamas he managed to find. They were a navy blue with bananas in sleep-wear dancing all over. Rose fell into a fit of giggles when he walked out in them. He grinned cheekily before retreating to the changing room.

Rose phone rang shortly after. Pete called her to make sure they were coming to dinner that night. When asked why, he evaded. Rose grew suspicious but told Pete they would be there.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

They stopped at Tesco's and got a few groceries. Rose put the groceries away, while the Doctor went to change. When he emerged from their shared bedroom, Rose's jaw dropped. Out pranced the Doctor. Instead of his customary suit, which she expected, he was dressed in a pair of khaki pants and a dark blue polo shirt. On his feet, he wore a pair of trainers that matched his polo. He looked like a completely different man. Unconsciously, she licked her lips.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and sauntered towards her. She took an involuntary step back. It seemed to her that he was prowling across the flat towards her. When the Doctor reached her, he grasped her hands gently in his own. The Doctor leaned in and Rose thought for sure that he would kiss her. Instead, he brought his lips near her ear.

“Thank you, Rose, for everything.” He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. He stepped back, keeping her hands in his, and smiled. It wasn't the manic grin she was used to. This was a softer smile. The sparkle in his eyes conveyed what he wasn't saying with his words. She smiled back as lovingly as she could. It wasn't exactly the situation she imagined she would be in a few days ago, but this was their second chance.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Rose stepped into the door of her parents' mansion and was immediately assault by an armful of happy 3 year old.

“Wosie!! You back!” Rose smiled at her little brother before lifting him and turning him towards the Doctor.

“Tony, I'd like for you to meet someone.” The wriggling child immediately quieted and became shy. “Tony, honey, this is the Doctor.”

The Doctor watched the child as realization dawned on him. Tony's eyes lit up as he looked at this strange new man. Tony cataloged everything about the man in front of him to what his sister had told him. Something was missing.

“Where's you suit?” The Doctor laughed, pure joy on his face.

“You told him stories about me?” Rose blushed a bit, but nodded.

“It was the easiest way to keep your stories alive, and it gave me hope.” The Doctor's smile softened. He turned his attention back to Tony.

“Well, Tony, my suit is needing to be cleaned. But I'll make sure to wear one next time, just for you.” Tony smile lit up the room as he wiggled out of his sister's arms. He ran down the hallway, towards the door to the back yard.

“C'mon Wose! Doctah!”

They followed Tony to the back yard where they all romped. Eventually, they began reenacting one of the best adventures the Doctor and Rose ever had. It was one of the few adventures where they didn't have casualties but it wasn't the one the Doctor thought it would be. They reenacted Margaret the Slitheen and the second time they met her.

Jackie and Pete eventually were drawn to the porch to watch them all play. Pete wrapped his arms around Jackie, who hummed happily.

“You know, Jacks, I don't care what their answers to my offers are. I'm just happy that Rose and the Doctor are here with us. This isn't the family I envisioned, to be sure, but I wouldn't trade this for the world.”

“I certainly wouldn't have expected it. But I'm glad this is where we ended up.”

“You think we should break them up and let them know dinner is ready?” Jackie smiled, a little mischief in her eyes and yelled. Immediately, all three broke apart and stared up at her. The Doctor and Tony's faces were horrified. Rose looked at her mum, a small smirk on her face.

“C'mon you three! Dinner's ready. Time to wash up!” Tony raced inside while Rose and the Doctor slowly made their way in.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

After dinner, Rose and the Doctor followed Pete into his study. He poured himself a drink and offered a drink to both Rose and the Doctor. Both declined, which he had expected. Still, it was polite to ask.

“Now, I've called you both in here to talk about your futures. Rose, as you know, you are still welcome at Torchwood at any time. Doctor, the same goes for you as well. I know that the Torchwood in your world wasn't that great, but ours is different. Rose is our leading liaison to off-worlders. She also runs a great team. Doctor, I know you from seeing how you work and with my own eyes. I would like to hire you as a sort of consultant. Rose mentions you did that at one point for the UNIT in your world. We don't have that here, just Torchwood. But it would be an honor to have you on board.”

Pete waited a moment to let his words sink in. Rose had a small smile on her face. The Doctor, however, was hunched over, fingers steepled, deep in thought.

“You don't have to make a decision now. Officially, you have until the end of next week. Unofficially, if you feel like you want to help us, you can let me know at any time.” Rose nodded and the Doctor ran his fingers through his hair. Before he could get any more agitated, Rose placed a hand on his arm.

“Tell you what, today is Thursday. Why don't we, on Monday, go up to Torchwood so you can see how we work. You'll need to get with Ianto to build you an identity anyway. Plus, you can help me dismantle the Dimension Cannon. It is still there, right?” Pete nodded at his daughter. He wasn't about to let someone else touch her pride-and-joy.

“Good. Just, come up there and see. That's all we ask. If you take the job, great. If not, that's fine as well. The choice is yours, Doctor.”

“I..well...I appreciate that, Pete. And you too, Rose. I'll...consider it.”

“Great. In the meantime, take this.” Pete handed the Doctor a thick packet. At his questioning look, Pete explained. “Rose should be able to help you with this. It's an information packet so we can build you a life here. Rose actually came up with it herself. She helps integrate offworlders into our society if they come here seeking to stay.”

“You give shelter to aliens?” Rose and Pete both smiled widely at the Doctor.

“Yeah, we do. At least a third of the population is alien in nature.”

“That's...that's really good. How long has it been since the Cyber War?” Rose answered the Doctor. This was a touchy subject for Pete.

“Five years since the initial invasion. Four years since the first breach. Only about two in the original Universe. Time runs differently between the two. You only notice it if you're hopping from one to the other.”

“So, exactly what year is it here, then?”

“2011. Specifically, February 17, 2011.”

“It feels a bit warm for February.”

“That's because of the breach. Remember, it created heat, which was changing our climate. Well, when Davros started his experiments with the twenty-seven planets, it weakened the walls. And, like the past breach, it generated heat. That was one of the clues that something was wrong. The climate should right itself since the breach is closed.”

The Doctor seemed satisfied with these answers. Only time would tell. Rose got up, grabbing for the Doctor's hand. They excused themselves and headed towards home. As they made their way home, the Doctor couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, he could make a life for himself here.

 


	5. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is their first "official" date since coming to Pete's World.

**First Date**

The Doctor and Rose spent the day organizing his carefully crafted lie. With his immense knowledge, it should have been simple to craft his new identity. They quickly became aware, however, that this would shape the rest of his life. His name, Rose quickly found, was the easiest part of the entire ordeal.

“Joshua Donald Noble.” She read the name off the piece of paper with a bit of awe. “You made your name into Donna's.”

“Well of course I did. She helped create me.”

“That's nice. Why Joshua, though?”

“I wanted something that was unique to me.”

“Ah.” Rose and the Doctor (Joshua) spent the day getting his paperwork together. When he went to Torchwood, he would have everything together.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

They stopped at around 4pm. Both their backs were hurting from being bent over the table all day. It was a new sensation for Joshua. As a Time Lord, he didn't succumb to the aches and pains the way most humans did. It took quite a lot to make him sore. With this part-human body, he wasn't quite sure how far he could push it.

Rose suggested they go out for the night. Out, like in a date kind of way. And suddenly, Joshua was nervous. Sure, he'd taken her to exotic planet with strange meals and entertainment. But a simple customary Earth date seemed overwhelming. His confidence was always solid when he was fully Time Lord. Did being human really affect him that much?

Joshua took a deep breath and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked the same, mostly. His eyes seemed to be a bit lighter. The weight of the universe no longer sat on his shoulders. He poked and prodded at himself, feeling where the differences could be. For all outward appearances, he was the same man. He had all the same knowledge. For all intents and purposes, he was the same man. Now, if only he could believe it. Better, could he get Rose to believe it?

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua dressed in his black pinstriped suit with a blue tie. He was fidgeting in the living room when Rose stepped out. He sucked in a sharp breath, taking in her appearance. She was dressed in a knee length, TARDIS blue dress that matched beautifully with his tie. She wore matching flats. She had no jewelry on to speak of, and no makeup either. Joshua thought she looked stunning. Rose blushed when he mentioned how she looked. They eyed one another nervously for a moment before Joshua held out his hand. He wiggled his fingers, just like he had after his regeneration. Rose immediately took his hand and off they went.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Rose and Joshua ended up at a pizzeria. Joshua, in true Doctor style, had one piece of everything. He spent the entirety critiquing the pizzas while Rose laughed and joined in.

_Supreme pizza was out._

_Meat-lovers wasn't too bad._

_Ham and pineapple. That one was pretty good._

Rose enjoyed watching him eat. He hardly ever stopped to eat when she'd traveled with the Doctor but Joshua? He was excited to try new things. To taste new things. When he didn't like something, he'd spit it out and hang his tongue out and use a napkin to scrape the taste off. She'd giggle at him and tell him how silly he was being.

_Pepperoni was average._

_Cheese was dull._

_Chicken with white sauce wasn't bad at all._

_Spinach was ok. You had to watch out for the burnt pieces, though. Those were horrible._

He enjoyed watching her reactions. Sometimes he'd go overboard just to make her laugh. He knew he was being ridiculous but he loved to see her laugh. And when she smiled, so did he.

He couldn't decide which was his favorite. But it definitely wasn't the one with everything on it. He thought maybe he went to far asking for the anchovies. _Too much salt._ Next time he'd leave those off and see if the taste improved any.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

The movie itself was average. With this being a new universe for him, it was something he hadn't seen before. The movie replayed the legend surrounding the death of Queen Victoria. The legend was exactly what they had lived through, minus them. The monarchy, Rose informed him, was a topic of curiosity for most people. Very similar to King Arthur in their home universe. That particular legend wasn't that big here, but the end of the monarchy definitely was.

They sat in the back of the theatre, away from most of the other patrons. They giggled and pointed, comparing what they knew had happened to what was depicted. Obviously, some details were different. Joshua felt that the comparisons made Rose feel even more like he was the Doctor. It put him more at ease.

He tensed and relaxed at the same time when Rose snuggled into his side. He struggled for a moment before laying his arm across her shoulders and pulling him tight against him.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

They were both giddy by the time they arrived home. Sexual tension was crackling between them, but neither made a move on it. There was an unspoken agreement that they were not ready to go down that road yet.

Rose settled into Joshua's side again as they sat on the couch. They weren't watching anything on the telly. They were just basking in the closeness they'd reacquired since they were left here. For now, they were both content. Rose almost fell asleep. Joshua gently nudged her awake. They slowly made their way to their bedroom, Rose leaning heavily on Joshua. The weekend was upon them and with the exception of going to the mansion Sunday, they had no plans. So the weekend was devoted to acquainting Joshua with this new London.

 


	6. Torchwood

**Torchwood**

Monday morning was a big day for Rose and Joshua. They would be spending the day at Torchwood, getting his new identification together. Joshua wasn't looking forward to it but no amount of pouting or whining would change Rose's mind.

“Look, if you want to have a life here, this is what has to happen. You don't actually have to do anything with the information. I make enough money, plus what I know Pete is giving me, we're set for life. However, if you want to go and do anything, you have to have a past. Ever since the Cybermen, everyone has to be identified. We don't track people, although some extremist groups have suggested it. But still, better do it now than have to pay for not doing it later.”

Joshua grudging assented to the fact that what she was saying made sense. He was no longer capable of just waving his psychic paper in someone's face to gain access. Even though, if he chose to work at Torchwood, his reputation preceded him, so he'd been told.

Over the weekend, he had emptied the pockets of his suit. Various items were thrown away. Others were stored. He was very pleased to find a sonic screwdriver in the mix. With that, he should be able to make his pockets a bit bigger. Rose's as well. He also found a psychic paper. Between him and Rose, they had two. Not that he couldn't make more if they needed it. He was dressed in his new brown pinstriped suit. For the first time since he got here, he felt more like himself. He pocketed the sonic and the psychic paper before following Rose out the door.

They headed to Torchwood with Joshua's packet at 8:00 am. Pete was meeting them and the three would be going in together. Instead of driving to Canary Wharf, like Joshua expected, Rose drove towards some warehouses nestled next to the Thames. They were stopped outside of the gates. Rose entered a code and had her thumb scanned. Immediately, the gate started rolling for them.

Pete met them in the center most building. As soon as Joshua walked through the doors, he had to stop. An overwhelming sense of another telepath assaulted his senses. Whatever it was, it was powerful. It also seemed he didn't have the ability to shield. Joshua closed his eyes and put his own shields up. When he opened his eyes, Pete and Rose were both looking at him concerned.

“Well, Pete, that was a bit rude of a hello.” Pete looked confused for a moment, but realization seemed to dawn on him. He looked sheepish for a moment before explaining.

“That's Bob. We don't know what his real name is, but he's a child. We did manage to identify his species. We have a few telepaths that work with him daily but he doesn't seem to really take to the lessons. Be my guest, though. Rose knows where he is. She can take you there later if you want.”

They continued on through the complex towards the elevators. Instead of going up, the elevators started downwards. They weren't in the elevator for long before it stopped.

Pete was the first to step out. He swept his arms wide and turned towards Joshua. “Doctor, welcome to Torchwood.”

The complex extended for as far as Joshua could see. There were no cubicles. Instead, some islands of desks could be seen littering the area.

“Each of these island sections holds a team. We encounter several different types of aliens each week with most being friendly. Of course, we have had our share of alien invasions. That's where our elite teams come in.” No sooner than Pete finished talking, Jake walked around the corner. He looked at Rose, then at Joshua.

“Doctor! Rose! How the hell are ya?” He clasped Joshua's hand and slapped his back.

“Jake. We're doing well, I think?” Joshua turned his head to Rose, almost as if asking if what he said was true. Sensing his insecurity, she stepped up to him and placed her arm around his waist. Joshua immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Jake smiled at the two of them before motioning for Joshua to join him.

“Doctor, if you'll come this way, I'm to take you to Ianto. He'll be the one processing your paperwork.” He looked a bit apprehensive, so Rose squeezed him around the middle.

“You'll be fine. Jake has my number. He'll call me if you need anything, k?” Rose leaned up, kissing him on the side of his mouth. He instantly relaxed again. For some reason, her touch seemed to be especially comforting since he'd changed. Joshua reluctantly followed Jake while Rose looked after them until they walked out of sight.

“Rose, is it just me or does he seem a bit anxious. Even depressed?”

“He is, dad. He just lost everything. His home, his best friend. He was tossed aside, almost as if he wasn't a sentient being. It was cruel. Now he's having to adjust to a stationary life. Plus he has all these human hormones running through his system and he doesn't know what to do with them yet. So yeah, I'd say he's depressed.”

“Well, hopefully we can offer him what he needs. If not, I'll help him find something. With my connections, he'll have several doors opened for him if he wants them.”

“Thanks, dad. I appreciate it and I'm sure he does as well. So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Pete led his daughter towards his office so they could talk.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Ianto, Joshua soon found, was the same Ianto he knew worked with Jack Harkness at Torchwood 3. He dressed just as sharply and still made a fantastic cuppa.

They sat for what seemed like hours, pouring over paperwork. Ianto was meticulous and single-minded, and Joshua soon found himself grudgingly dedicated to the task at hand. He figured that the sooner they got this over with, the sooner he could get back to Rose. Or at least go look at something more interesting.

The only redeeming part of the whole ordeal was Jake. He stayed with Joshua and talked and joked with him. Once Ianto was finished with the paperwork and had taken Joshua's picture for his ID and passport, he joined in to the conversation. More than once, neighboring departments would yell them to quiet down. Eventually, Jake and Ianto took Joshua on a trip through Torchwood. Nothing extensive, since he wasn't officially an employee, but they did make it a point to swing by Research and Development.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Rose followed Pete to his office. She'd worked with him long enough to know that if she was pulled aside, it was usually something serious. She just hoped it wasn't anything she couldn't handle.

“Rose, I know you are still adjusting to this new life and everything but we really need you to come back. The Arcanian's have been threatening to sanction us while the Nazurians are threatening war. I need my top negotiator back. Maybe with you and the Doctor, Joshua, working together, you can get these nipped quickly.”

“Why are they acting like this? We've had peaceful treaties with both for two years now.”

“We think it's because of the dimension cannon. It was giving off some odd readings each time you used it. Apparently, those reading were recorded by both factions. Both are viewing this as an act of war. And because -”

“-Because Arcanian's are a trade-based culture, they will sanction us before they declare war. Alright. I'll see what I can accomplish with them today. Let me talk to them and smoothe things over. Then we can get together a team to take apart the cannon.”

“Do you want anyone specific helping you with the cannon?”

“Jake and Marcus and Joshua, obviously. Probably Calvin as well, since he's head of R&D. That's five people total. We should be able to get it done in a day, easily.”

“Well, I'll leave the negotiations in your capable hands. I'm off to shmooze the president. She has that benefit dinner next week. Don't worry, I've already told her you're still recuperating.”

Rose snorted, looking at her father. Harriet Jones had become the president of Great Britain the year Rose arrived here. She was extremely skeptical of Rose and Jackie Tyler until they saved the world from an attack. While it wasn't the Slitheen or the Sycorax, it was still traumatic for the president. She had been kidnapped and it was a close call getting her back. Rose led Mickey and Jake through the ship, after they had used the short teleports to get on board. They'd saved her life and since then, Harriet took it upon herself to invite Rose to all functions in hopes of “getting her hitched”. Rose was grateful not to attend this function.

“I appreciate it. I might still come and drag Joshua along. I'm sure she will back off once she sees I'm with someone, officially. Might ought to get some of the tabloids to get some pictures. That will take the edge off quite a few people.” Pete grinned knowingly at his daughter.

“This is about Clyde, isn't it?”

“He's a good agent, Pete. But really, he needs to back off. I haven't been interested in him and will never be, but he seems to not get the point.”

“Well, I may have come up with a solution to that. You know that Torchwood 3 is in need of a leader. I'm thinking of sending him out there.”

“That might do him good. Gwen could use someone out there to reign Owen in. Unless you intend on sending a whole new team up there.”

“I think just him for now.”

“Alright, well, I'm heading to my office. I'll send after Jake, Joshua and Ianto. Hopefully they haven't gotten into too much trouble.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

_Jake, bring Ianto and Joshua to my office._

Jake blinked at his cell phone, confused. Then it registered who Joshua was and he groaned. Joshua was currently in a deep argument with Calvin, the head of the R&D Department over the misuse of certain energy sources. Apparently, what Calvin had assumed was an inert piece of rock was actually a very potent source of energy and Calvin was about to smash it with a hammer. Not the most delicate way to break something apart but it worked. Or would have, if Joshua hadn't stopped him.

“Now look, I don't care who you are or what you think you know, but this bit of rock is completely inert. It does nothing! We've tried hooking it to every we could and still nothing. It was traded to us as an energy source but it's bunk!”

“No, really it isn't. You just don't know how to use it. Give me five minutes.”

_Rosie, can we take a few minutes? Joshua and Calvin are currently in an argument. I want to see which one wins._

_The Doctor will, hands down. You have 10 minutes or I'll start this conference call without you._

_Okay._

Joshua sat down at a work table with the rock and hunched over it. Calvin sat across from him, watching intently.

_I think you're right, Rose. Calvin is watching what Joshua is doing very intently._

Joshua selected some wire. It was aluminum instead of copper, which is what Calvin had tried. Joshua then took his sonic out and began soldering. Calvin eyed the tool intently, trying to decipher what exactly it did.

_Doctor's got the sonic out._

_Be prepared to run!_

After soldering the wires, he switched settings. He delicately stimulated the rock. Before their eyes, the rock began to vibrate gently and it emanated soft light. Joshua grinned up at Calvin would was glowering. Secretly, he was beyond pleased. He clapped his hand three times, and the light went out. Joshua looked at Calvin who now had a smirk on his face.

“Doctor, if you find yourself working here, I'd be honored if you'd work with me.” Joshua scrunched his face, a bit confused and a bit irritated.

“You mean all this was was a test?”

“Mostly. We have several of these that do work, you see. But this one refused. My team and I tried every which way but we couldn't get it to operate. I wouldn't have brought the hammer down, honestly. It's a bit too valuable for that. I would have eventually contacted those who gave it to us. But yes, seeing that you could fix it makes me admire you more than the stories Rose always spouted about you.”

“Stories?” Jake and Ianto nodded but it was Calvin who answered.

“It was mostly Rose's stories. She only told them to those of us who worked on the cannon. She built you up in our minds and so far, you've lived up to what she said.”

“Well, it's nice to know I measure up.” Jake and Ianto snorted as Calvin howled with laughter. It took Joshua a moment to figure out why they were laughing so hard. He blushed but chuckled lightly at his innuendo. Finally, Jake calmed them all down.

“C'mon mate. Rose wanted us in her office about ten minutes ago. We'd better get going.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua, Ianto and Jake walked into Rose's office only to find her in a heated debate. Ianto and Jake sat on the love seat in her office. Joshua was stuck at the door. There was his Rose, speaking in perfect Nazurian. He looked at Jake and Ianto but both seemed to be at ease. He caught Jake's eye and Jake nodded. Yes, this was normal for Rose. Joshua plopped down into a chair at her desk, frowning.

“ _Yes, I am aware that you picked up some disturbing readings from our planet. No, we did not orchestrate the stars doing out.”_

“ _But you created the the readings, correct?”_

“ _I...yes.”_

“ _Just after these readings started, the stars started going out.”_

“ _I'm not sure how close it was.”_ Joshua had heard enough. Regardless of what had or hadn't happened, he could usually bullshit his way through anything. He didn't normally use that phrasing but it was accurate at times. Joshua walked around Rose's desk and made his presence known to the Nazurian. He leaned against the back wall, smiling brightly. His eyes, however, were cold and calculating. He folded his arms across his chest and crossed his ankles. To anyone else, he would look relaxed but not to Rose.

“ _Excuse me, but what exactly has you so disturbed over these readings?”_ The Nazurian cocked his head to the side, considering Joshua. Before either could say anything else, Rose interrupted.

“ _Gloa, this is my mate, Joshua. Joshua, Gloa.”_ Joshua waved at Gloa.

“ _Hello there. Now that we're properly introduced, why don't you tell us what's really going on?”_

“ _What do you mean?”_

“ _Well, unless you took readings of a catastrophic scale, we wouldn't be here discussing this. It seems you are trying to find an explanation for what has happened and in doing so, you're accusing the people that stopped it.”_

Gloa glared at Joshua for a moment. Joshua didn't blink, nor did he flinch.

“ _You are not human.”_

“ _Besides the point. Now tell us what is really going on. Why are you planning on attacking us.”_

“ _You ask a lot of questions. Fine. We looked in your history. Humans have a very violent history. These readings we gathered are far more advanced that what we thought you were capable. We don't want you coming into space and attacking us.”_

“ _Ah. See, I used to have the same views about humans. Used to think they were a bunch of silly, stupid apes. However, in interaction, I have found there are many more that are kind-hearted than cruel. Besides, history has a tendency to paint us all in a bad light.”_

“ _And what is your history?”_

“ _Maybe once we're closer, I'll talk. But my history for now is my own. Just be warned, I have much more experience than you will ever think. Don't threaten my home. Don't threaten the people I care about. The device that created those readings is being dismantled. Nothing of that caliber will be made again any time soon. I assume that with this done, you will no longer consider us a threat?”_

“ _You will always be a threat, but this will be dropped for now. Next time, we won't give you warning.”_

The screen went blank. Joshua continued to glare at it. Ianto and Jake exchanged looks and Rose stood in front of Joshua. She held out her hands, palms up. He grasped her hands gentle and brought her knuckles to his face. He brushed his lips across her knuckles, his eyes never leaving hers. Jake cleared his throat and both Joshua and Rose jumped.

“Doctor, Rose, do we need to worry about them?” Joshua took a deep breath, he glanced at Rose. She nodded, the movement barely perceptible.

“Yeah. This was only an excuse. We've already been informed that next time they won't give us warning. They see the human race as a threat.”

“Should we go ahead and go on alert?” Rose shook her head.

“Probably not yet. Although if we have any minor altercations with them we will. I think they were acting out of fear of the unknown. Some of those star systems that went out were close to them. They didn't know what was causing it so they wanted to blame someone. I'll talk to Pete and see what he wants to do.”

“Right, well, my team's going to the pub tonight. You two want to join?” Rose looked at Joshua, eyebrow cocked. He shrugged and she smiled, making him smile in return.

“Yeah, Jake. I think I'm going to go home and change.”

 


	7. The Pub

**The Pub**

By the time Joshua and Rose arrived, Jake and his team had procured a billiards table. They were already in the middle of a game, so Rose drug Joshua to the dance floor. He nuzzled her cheek with his nose then whispered.

“I haven't done this since the Blitz. Not properly anyway.” Rose raised an eyebrow at him. He could feel her apprehension in the way her body tensed and knew that she was thinking about his time with Reinette. What a huge mistake that was. And worse, they both had suffered. He shook his head slightly.

“I danced, and I mean dancing, with Reinette, but my heart wasn't in it. The entire time I was thinking of you. I know I hurt you and I'm sorry for that. But, can we not talk about this now? I want us to have a good time.” Rose pulled back and looked in his eyes. She saw the sincerity, and the bit of worry he was feeling. Since he'd come here, he was much more expressive. Not that his eyes hadn't always been expressive before, but he hid less than he used to. The boundaries and walls he kept up tumbled down and the weight of the Universe lifted from his shoulders. It was a much nicer look on him and she enjoyed how he opened up to her. So, she decided to drop the subject of Reinette for now. He was right, he was here with her and they intended to both have a good time, not rehash their past.

“After we got here, Mum was always dragging me to functions, trying to get me to get over you. At first I refused to dance but finally I gave in. It was either that or listen to her harp.”

“I'm sorry that happened. I was a right git after you left. Poor Martha had to put up with me. Then again, she was besotted with me for the longest time.”

“What changed?”

“The Year that Never Was. I don't...I'll tell you about it some time, but not now.”

“Alright. You can tell me when you're ready.”

They danced for a while, lost in each other's embrace. Eventually, they drifted back towards the table. Jake had ordered them each a drink. Rose was drinking a strawberry daiquiri while Joshua, to his delight, had a banana daiquiri.

The men of the group started another game while the women started talking. They had all been a part of Rose and Mickey's team so they knew all the stories. They mostly gossiped, each keeping the conversation well away from work. Well, with the exception of Joshua, they kept everything from work. Mostly, they spent the time catching Rose up on what had been going on in their lives.

A couple of hours passed and Rose found herself needing to step to the restroom. She walked away, unknown to Joshua. When he noticed her missing, he was almost in a panic but the girls reassured him that she was fine and would be right back. He believed them until he heard her scream. Joshua and the team immediately went into action. There, on the dance floor, was a very large and stocky bloke who had his hands around Rose's wrists. He was attempting to drag her across the floor but she was struggling. She kicked at his knee and he stumbled, which gave Joshua enough time to reach her. Instead of grabbing for her like she thought he would, he reared back and punched the man in the nose.

The man, of course, didn't fall unconscious. Joshua was human now, after all. It did make the man pause which gave Jake and Ryan enough time to sweep the man's legs from underneath him. Lucy, Kamille and Jennifer bundled Rose off while Jake, Ryan and Joshua kept the man to the floor. A bouncer for the pub finally made his way through the thick crowd. He grabbed the man and maneuvered him by the back of his neck and out the pub.

They regrouped by the billiards table. Joshua immediately went to Rose. She seemed fine, if a bit frazzled. Mostly she was angry. Joshua noticed bruises already forming around her wrists. He brought her wrists up and laid gentle kisses on the bruises.

“Jake, it was a great night, for the most part, but I think we'll go ahead and turn in. That alright with you, Rose?”

“Yeah, I think so. I'm expected to be at work tomorrow. So's this lot, to be honest. But after that, I just want to leave.”

Hand-in-hand, Joshua and Rose walked out of the pub. The bouncer who had led Rose's attacker out, followed them to their car. Jake and Ryan walked the other ladies of the team out as well. Everyone was on guard.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

The drive home was mostly in silence. Even though he hadn't gotten his official papers yet, Joshua opted to drive. Rose was thankful. She knew she could have fought the man off more, and that's what made her the most angry at herself. But she didn't want Joshua, the Doctor, to see her at her most violent and ruthless. That was a part of herself that she was ashamed of.

Once they were inside, Rose immediately retreated to their room. Joshua was lost, angry and very confused. He wanted more than anything to follow her, but was afraid she'd reject him. He stood in the doorway, unsure of what he should do.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

When Rose finally emerged, she was greeted with the smell of food. She had taken the time to shower and change and felt much more like herself. When she finally got to their little kitchenette, she was greeted to the sight of Joshua filling up plates with pasta. While she'd ran away from him, he'd decided to do something to help her. Her chest welled up with love for this man.

She made her way to him and wrapped her arms around him in a backwards hug. He rested his hands on top of hers before twisting in her arms to face her. He wrapped his arms around her and they stood there for several moments, savoring one another. Finally she stepped back and smiled up at him a touch of embarrassment on her face.

“Sorry for running away earlier.” Joshua kissed her gently on her forehead.

“It's alright, Rose. Can't tell you how many times I've done the same thing. But that's neither here nor there. I forgive you, will always forgive you. Now come on. Let's sit down to eat.”

 


	8. Welcome to Torchwood

**Welcome to Torchwood**

Tuesday found Rose and Joshua at Torchwood. Rose still had to talk to the Arcadians. While the Earth ddn't depend on the trade, it was nice to get a few things she missed from traveling in the TARDIS.

Joshua had his own negotiations this morning. He made his way towards Pete's office. Or he would have, if he knew the way. He hadn't wandered far, though, before Jake met up with him.

“Jake! Can you help me out?”

“Wacha need, Doc?” Joshua cringed at the nickname.

“Don't...don't call me that. Listen, could you point me in the direction of Pete's office?”

“I'm headed there myself, mate. You made a decision yet?”

“I...yeah. I'm going to for now There isn't much I can do right now. And honestly, I don't want to let Rose out of my sight.”

“Still adjusting?”

“We both are.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Joshua smiled at his friend. His only friend, really.

“Not really. This is something we have to figure out on our own.”

“Fair enough. But really, if you do need something, let me know.”

They walked towards Pete's office, sharing stories of their escapades since the last time they'd seen each other. It had been four years for Jake and two (technically three) for Joshua. Two years and a change of species. His life was exceptionally weird.

They entered Pete's office without knocking. Neither seemed perturbed by the withering look Pete gave them.

“You know, I could have been busy.” Jake snorted as he and Joshua plopped down into chairs.

“Please, if you were busy, you wouldn't be in your office.”

“True enough. Well, what bring both of you two my office?” Joshua fidgeted for a moment before answering.

“I came to tell you that I made my decision.”

“Oh?”

“For now, I think, I'll work here. I may eventually change my mind. But I see what you've done here and I like it. I want to be a part of it.”

“That's great. Rose did explain that we do a full physical, right?” At Joshua's confused look, Pete sighed.

“Umm, well, no, she didn't tell me. What will this all entail?”

“A physical, stress test, a psychological, and a psychic test.”

“That's...wow.” Pete let Joshua process everything for a moment before he continued.

“The physical is just your basic physical. The stress test monitors your responses to a variety of different stressful situations, including physical exertion. The psychological is exactly how it sounds. After I rebuilt Torchwood, I wanted people that were of decently sound mind. Having an imagination and an ability to be flexible and cope to new situations was also key. So we screen for that. The Torchwood here is known worldwide. We have branches in almost every country. We don't just deal with Great Britain like the other Torchwood did. Anything we do is for the benefit of the entire world. Lastly is the psychic. I only used that term because it's what most people know. We specifically test telepathy. Nothing too invasive, but we do want to see, on our more talented staff, that they can erect barriers quickly.”

“I don't...I don't want someone strange in my head.”

“Well, how about this. Get through the other tests and we'll cross that bridge when we get there.” Pete smiled reassuringly at Joshua before nodding towards Jake.

“You think you can handle taking him around the facility today, Jake?”

“Oh, I think I can cope with it.”

“Alright. Just, make sure to swing by before you leave.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

The day passed quickly for Joshua. The physical was just what he expected. There were a few scans he wasn't expecting, but after they were explained, he conceded. It would be nice to see on paper what he did and did not have compared to the Time Lord.

The stress test was not anything like he expected. Diodes were attached to him, but there were no wires hanging off of him. He was first placed in a virtual reality type helmet, which went through scenarios. The diodes measured his physical reactions. He also wore the diodes through a short obstacle course.

The psychological was a bit worrisome. The woman conducting it would raise her eyebrow at every few questions. He knew, well before the end, that she viewed him as clinically insane. Most who had to deal with him thought that. In the other Universe, he was certifiable on at least thirty planets, not mentioning his home world.

Finally, it became time for the psychic test. He was placed in a room that looked very similar to an interrogation room. And he waited. The longer he waited, the more nervous he became. Finally, the door across from him opened. He held his breath but let it out quickly when it was Rose who walked through the door. She smiled at him before taking the seat across from him.

“What..what are you doing here, Rose?”

“I'm the one testing you.” Joshua looked confused, so she pressed on. “After the Game Station, I noticed it. I'd practice with the TARDIS for hours on end. I was afraid to bring it up to you and she promised me she wouldn't. Then we were separated. At first, it was difficult being here without having the TARDIS in my head. I finally began to cope, when we welcomed out first openly telepathic race here for asylum. They are actually the ones who normally do these tests but after your concern earlier, Pete asked me if I would do it.”

“I...that was very thoughtful of him. So, how are we going to do this?”

“Well, you're a touch telepath, so let's start with that.” Before Joshua could nod or draw in a breath, Rose grabbed his hands tightly in her own.

“Now, the point of this is to try and keep me out. I'll start slow then work my way up. Then we'll switch and you'll try to get into my mind. Ready?” Joshua nodded, and Rose began.

The touches were fleeting at first. Almost as if she were testing the waters. She quickly fell into a rhythm, bombarding his mind. He quickly threw up shields. Since his world was gone, he hadn't kept up with his telepathy as much as he should have. That was the biggest reason that Reinette was able to get into his mind so easily.

And he wanted to let Rose into his mind, so badly. Not that he wanted her to see everything. He had many skeletons in his closet. But the intimacy that could be shared through this joining was...brilliant.

Rose's onslaught on his mind slowed, then stopped. She stayed, just on the edges of his mind. He could feel contentment rolling off her in waves and knew she felt about this the same way he did. It took him a moment to realize that she was waiting for him to start his assault.

He started tentatively, just as she had. He was quickly convinced that she did know what she was doing and he doubled his assault. He slammed into her barriers, trying to find a weakness. She, surprisingly, didn't seem to have any. He lost track of time, but finally, he tired. Her defenses were better than his, if he were honest.

They hovered for a moment, on the edges of one another's mind. Finally, though, Rose broke contact. Joshua almost whimpered in response.

“C'mon, love. It's lunch time. After that, we'll go take a look at the cannon.” Joshua could only nod, his head still spinning from the contact of her mind to his.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

They grabbed something from the cafeteria and ate in Rose's office. Jake joined them after a few moments. Calvin, the head of the R&D Department also joined them.

“Alright, here's the plan. Jake, you and Ryan will have anything that isn't actually tacked on. That includes mirrors and wires that are plugged in. Joshua, I want you to break the solder on all the pieces so we can take it apart carefully. Calvin, your team can take everything down to the Vault. I'll catalog as we go. We probably won't get this all finished today but I want the more delicate parts cataloged and put away. Everyone understand?”

Everyone nodded around the room. Joshua stood, taking his sonic out of his pocket and twirling it between his fingers. He waggled his eyebrows at Rose and shot her a cheeky grin.

“Alright. Let's get this finished.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

They didn't get it finished that first day, mostly because Joshua was awed by the contraption. He kept asking questions on how things worked. He was amazed that they could come up with this. He was even more amazed that it was Rose who'd initially thought of it.

“Well, I did the best I could. I got to thinking about vortex manipulators. We aren't able to craft anything like that but we could mesh the idea of the TARDIS and a manipulator. It took us a while to get it to work. It took even longer for me to find you. Any you.”

“What did you use for a focus?” Rose held up a chain with a key dangling from it.

“My TARDIS key.”

“Oh, that's brilliant.”

Finally, 5:00pm rolled around and every started packing their things away. It was time to go home. For Joshua, it had been a long, informative, and exhausting day. It had also been very, very exciting. He wanted nothing more than to go home and see if Rose would let him into her head for real.

 


	9. Realizations

**Realizations**

Joshua thought about their telepathic encounter all the way home. Never in a million years did he think his Rose could do that. It made him anxious for, and almost afraid, of doing more with her. At the same time, he realized that he craved that connection. Without the TARDIS, his mind was starving. He'd been able to ignore it to a point but now, knowing that Rose would be able to connect with him like that, he wanted it more than anything. He finally decided to break the silence.

“Rose, we need to talk about this. I don't...I mean...I don't want to fight over it, but there may be much more going on than you think. And I just, I want you to be okay. So please?”

Rose back went rigid when he started talking. She didn't want to talk about this, about any of it, really. It was still too painful for her. But she pursed her lips and nodded, once. Joshua could feel the tension in the air.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua used his key to let them in. Rose rushed through the door, keeping her distance from Joshua. He sighed, running his hand through his hair.

“I'm going to go dress down.” Rose left him standing in the room. He nodded, knowing she couldn't see him. He knew he had upset her, but he didn't realize how upset she would be. He went to their room and retrieved some clothes and went to change as well. When he was done, he could hear her making tea. He smiled. She was so much like her mother. Tea fixed everything.

He walked into their little kitchen and stood back, watching her. Her back was rigid. He stepped up, and lightly placed her hands on her shoulder. She stilled. He gently started working on her shoulders and he felt her relax into his touch.

_'I don't want to fight. But I do have concerns. We promised we would talk once we got here. And if I know either of us, we will put it off.'_

He turned her around to look at him. She looked near tears. He cupped her face with his right hand and stroked her cheek with his thumb. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Okay. I'm ready to talk. What do you want to know?” She still looked apprehensive, but Joshua relaxed.

“I want to know everything about what you can do. Telepathy of that caliber is unheard of in a human. And I know you know something. I can see it in your eyes. Please, love, tell me.”

“And you, will you share everything with me?” Rose's eyes were like fire as they bore into him. He almost flinched at their intensity, but he held his ground. He nodded, almost reluctantly. She pursed her lips together and nodded. Rose took his hand and led him to the living room. He sat on the couch. Joshua fully expected Rose to join him but instead she sat in between his legs on the floor, facing away. He placed his hands gently at her temples. That contact wasn't exactly needed, but it help his concentration. He startled when he felt Rose's mind brush against his.

‘ _You did this with Reinette.’_

‘ _I did. And she went into my mind without my knowledge or consent. It’s a violation, of sorts, to do that.’_

‘ _You never told me that. I just knew you were upset when she was gone.’_

‘ _Of course I was. I don’t take death lightly. And she was a brilliant woman, but I didn’t mourn her because I loved her. I didn’t….I didn’t tell you because I’m an idiot. I thought at the time that pushing you away would make the pain of losing you hurt less. I wanted to distance myself. All I did was cause both of us time. I should have acted a long time ago.’_

She smiled weakly at him.

“If there's any thing you don't want me to see, imagine a door and I won't look.”

She nodded and closed her eyes. His mind nudged hers gently, asking for permission. She nodded and he entered her mind. He expected chaos, like most humans. What he found, was the TARDIS console room.

_'Well, this is new.'_

_'Thought you would like that. It keeps things organized.’_

She grabbed his hand and he looked down, surprised.

_'This is a bit advanced. I'm honestly impressed. How long has your mind been like this?’_

‘ _Since Bad Wolf. It wasn't long after that that I realized I had been changed.’_

‘ _You remember that?’_

‘ _Bits and pieces. But for the most part, yes. Although I didn’t really start remembering details until I came here.’_

‘ _Do you…..do you remember how I took it out of you?’_

‘ _Yes.’_

‘ _Oh’_

Appearing at the back part of the room, opposite the doors that represented the way out of her mind, there were three doors. The first, TARDIS blue. The second was solid black. The last was gold.

‘ _Blue is for hope. These are my good memories. Black is despair. These are my bad. I’m not sure what the gold is for, but I can speculate. I’ve never actually seen the door before now.’_

‘ _But I took it out of you.’_

‘ _Apparently not. Shall we look behind it?’_

He looked at her, fear etched on his face. She took his hand and smiled. She reached for the door handle and turned. And they stepped through.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Inside the door, he noticed he had stepped into a shack. In the middle sat a box. He stepped back, fear and worry on his face. Rose still had his hand. But in front of him, sitting on the box, was also Rose.

‘ _Hello, Doctor.’_

‘ _Umm, hello?’_

‘ _You don’t remember this, which is alright. I’ll allow you to remember it now. I am the Bad Wolf, as you had guessed. But there is more to the story than even you know.’_ She stepped up to him and placed her hands on his temples. And he remembered.

His knees buckled and he looked at the two Rose’s with awe, excitement, and a touch of fear etched on his face.

‘ _This is what happened in your Time Line. We ended the Time War, Doctor. But not as you remembered. There is a another Time Line, which may or may not happen. Those events are still in flux.’_

‘ _What happens?’_

‘ _I can’t tell you. Fore knowledge is dangerous, as you well know.’_

Joshua nods.

‘ _Is it a good ending?’_

‘ _It can be. Time is still in Flux around those events. It has happened, is happening, will happen. But you cannot know the outcome until the very end.’_

He nods again.

‘ _Do not ever doubt who you are. Mind and body, you are the Doctor. More importantly, you are her Doctor.’_

‘ _Are you….are you what has been changing Rose?’_

‘ _She chose her fate, Doctor. There are many more changes ahead for you both. Some you will not like. And most of this you aren’t allowed to remember, not until the end. But know this, you are loved, and by no one more than Rose Tyler.’_

‘ _But she will be happy?’_

‘ _So long as she has you, Doctor, she will be happy.’_

He nodded as he took Rose’s hand again. She had been strangely silent through the entire encounter and he looked at her. There were tear stains down her cheeks.

‘ _I knew she was still there. She had to be for me to go unharmed through the Dimensions. But I’m afraid of what that means for us.’_

‘ _For now, it means nothing. Because if this entire experience with you has taught me anything, Rose Tyler, it’s that we can’t take our time for granted. We need to embrace it and live for the moment.’_

He kissed her. This wasn’t chaste, like most of their kisses. He withdrew from her mind to find myself kissing her, him bent down and her head thrown back.

‘ _Before…..before we go any further, I need to show you something, Rose.’_

‘ _What, love? If it’s too painful, it can wait.’_

‘ _No, it can’t. If we….I need you to see all of me, the worst of me, before we go on. Please.’_

She was suddenly pulled into his mind. Unlike hers, it wasn’t tidy. She had expected it to be. What she saw, was them standing in the middle of a hurricane.

‘ _It used to be neater. But then the Time War happened. It tore every one of us apart. Realities were bent. Time Lines crushed. Between the Daleks and the Time Lords, there was no real distinction. We had become like them in our hate and rage. And we destroyed Time just as ruthlessly as they did. And because of this, my mind is, cluttered. I went a bit mad, right after the War.’_

Flashes of the War tore across the surface. He stood frozen, watching her reactions. She never broke down and cried, but he could see tears on her cheeks.

‘ _But this….this is my mind. It’s always been a bit busy, a bit cluttered. This storm was created as a result of the scars of the War. After the War, I drifted. I refused to travel. Refused to do anything, really. The TARDIS tried to help but she was just as torn up and scarred as I was. Finally, she did the only thing she could think of, she dumped me on a friend’s doorstep and refused to open again until I had pulled myself together. It took a couple of months. But Alistair had been in War as well. He knew what I was going through, to an extent. He helped heal me enough to where I could travel again, to do good.’_

He took a deep breath, collecting himself.

‘ _My first adventure was London. Nestene Conscious. I hadn’t planned on meeting anyone. I wanted to stick to the shadows as much as possible and just do the job. But then I heard a scream. Little did I know that it belonged to the ray of sunshine that would brighten my dim world.’_

Around them, the storm had quieted.

‘ _It didn’t take long for you to whittle down my defenses. And soon, I couldn’t think of a life without you. But I was a coward. I drew a line, because I knew I would end up getting hurt. I tried to push you away. I was so stupid. Because when you were ripped from me, the storm was worse than ever. I didn’t get a chance to mourn. I flung myself head long into danger. I think, I think there was a part of me that wanted it to end. I was careless, in my adventures.’_

She looked at him, concern across her face. He was lost in the memories. She squeezed his hand, and he broke out of his trance.

‘ _I had to….to let you see the worst of me. My emotions are all over the place. You know that. But you. You drive the darkness away.’_

Rose chose that moment to envelope his mind. She let her love and hope and passion envelope him. He kissed her again, desperately, and they were flung from his mind.

She broke from the kiss first. He tried to lean in again but she put her hand up, stopping him. He was hurt and confused. She stood up and turned around, reaching for his hands. She pulled him up and started towards their bedroom. It finally dawned on him what her intentions were and he pounced. He kissed her, frantically, pushing her up against the door.


	10. Alone At Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The smut that the last chapter was leading to. And bonding.

**Alone At Last**

He had her back up against the door, kissing her. Hands up against her face; one trailing up into her hair. He grabbed her hair gently and leaned her head to one side. He trailed kisses down her neck. When he got to her shoulder, he licked back up to her ear. He bit and sucked on her ear lobe, and she moaned. He licked the outer shell of her ear and trailed his other hand down her body. His hand caught the door knob. The door opened at they tumbled through, never losing contact. He took a deep breath and shuddered. He wasn't fully Time Lord, but he could smell her want, her arousal. And it was all for him. He gently led her to the bed, not stopping his ministrations. Her knees hit the bed and they both fell, him landing on her, but he was careful not to fall completely on top of her. He stopped what he had been doing, looking at her. Pleading for permission to go further.

_'Don't stop.'_

He growled into her ear and she gasped.

_'Are you sure?'_

_'Yes!'_

That was all the encouragement he needed. His hand started teasing her nipple as his mouth started down her neck. He bit and licked and teased. He lifted her shirt up over her head and turned her onto her stomach. He bit the back of her neck gently, and tugged at her pajama bottoms. He placed kisses and soft bites down her back as he slid both her pajamas and her knickers down her legs. She shivered slightly. He placed kisses on the bottoms of her feet, her ankles, her calves. When he got back to her thighs, he nudged for her to spread her legs. When she did, he gently bit and kissed the insides of both thighs, keeping well away from her center. She moaned.

He bit her left cheek, then her right, eliciting another moan from her. He crawled back up her body, kissing and biting as he went. He turned her over. She made to try and rid him of his clothes but he grabbed her hands before she could and pinned them above her head.

_'No, love. This, this is all for you. For all the times that I should've but was too scared to.'_

He kissed her as he let go of her arms. She raked her fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp lightly. He growled into her mouth, which made her moan in return. He broke from the kiss and started on her neck. He bit down, and she screamed, but not from pain. Her smell hit him again. He chuckled and licked and kissed the spot where he'd marked her.

_'Mine.'_

_'Yours.'_

He moved to her left breast and bit just above her heart. She bucked up underneath him and he held her down. He was drowning in her want.

_'Mine.'_

_'Yours.'_

He had marked her, like he would have a mate of his own kind and she responded. Their minds flared for a moment. They were one being, soaring through the skies. Her want magnified his own and created an unending loop. When he was aware of himself again, she was on top, repeating the motions. First his neck. She bit, and he bucked just as she had. She growled at him.

_'Mine.'_

_'Yours.'_

And again, above his single heart.

_'Mine.'_

_'Yours.'_

Their minds flared again and they could feel one another. The lust and love that the other felt was again magnified in their minds. Rose was almost overwhelmed. He took that moment of hesitancy and flipped them back over.

_'I wasn't done with you.'_

She purred at him. He looked at her eyes as he made his way down her body. He nudged her legs apart and kissed her thigh. He looked at her from between her thighs and she moaned, arching herself up slightly.

_'Tell me.'_

_'Please, please, Joshua. I want you.'_ She was looking directly at him, eyes dark. He chuckled and kissed her other thigh. She whimpered slightly and he stopped hesitating. He kissed her center, barely, just enough to where she knew he had. She gasped. He slowly licked up one side, lingering at her peak, then down the other. She shuddered underneath his touch.

_'You taste wonderful.'_

He licked his way back up to her peak and without warning, slid two fingers inside her. She screamed, arching her back. He found a rhythm and quickly had her writhing.

_'Beautiful woman. Scream for me.'_

He placed a third finger in her and bit her clit gently. She came undone, bucking and screaming and he stayed latched on until she was spent. He sat back on his feet and looked at her, licking her off his fingers. Her mind hummed in the back of his, content.

She opened her eyes to look at him while he was sliding his fingers out of his mouth. Faster than he thought possible, he found himself on his back, her straddling his waist. He looked at her and his eyes widened. Her eyes were wild with lust. She bent down towards his ear and purred.

“This is for you. For all the times I wanted, but thought you would run away.”

She kissed down his body. When her breasts passed over his erection, he moaned. She chuckled up at him and grasped his pajamas. She pulled down and nipped at his hip bone. He gasped. She licked and sucked where she'd bitten then moved to the other side and repeated the action. She slid his bottoms down his legs, nipping and kissing and she went. On her way back up, she nudged his legs apart. He moved them slightly. She shook her head and threw his legs further apart. His feet ended up on opposite sides, falling off the bed. She placed a small bite in between his legs, behind his balls, on the little bit of flesh. He screamed bucked up, fisting his hands into the sheets. She licked up his balls, taking one, then the other in her mouth. As he was, he was just a bit too big for her to fit it all into her mouth. She licked up his shaft and he let out a shuddering breath. She swirled her tongue around his tip then took him in. He was large, and she was out of practice. She gagged when he hit the back but she tried to relax. She grasped his base and he thought he was on fire. His breath quickened.

_'Please, I don't want to finish like this.'_

She looked up at him.

_'How do you want to finish, then?'_

She was back at his tip. She flicked her tongue on the underside of his head. He moaned again.

_'I want inside of you, please.'_

She let go of him with her mouth and crawled back up his body. She reached his mouth with her own and kissed him. He tried to devour her mouth and she his. He grabbed her hips, positioned her and slid into her. She gasped and he stopped, allowing her to adjust.

_'There's been no one since I met you. Since Run.'_

_'Oh, love, no one for me. Not for centuries.'_

She moaned into his mouth and started moving. He teased her neck and her breasts but really wanted them in his mouth. He stopped her motions and slid up the bed, bringing her with him. Sitting up, he found he could reach her easily. She moved and twisted and he bit and licked. She had her hands on the headboard, using it to twist against him. He took a peak into his mouth and swirled his tongue. He teased with his teeth and tongue. He could feel her getting close. He grabbed her hip with one hand and placed the other between them. He found her clit and started small, circular flicks. He felt her losing rhythm and he sucked her bud into his mouth, biting slightly. She came undone on top of him and he lost himself as well. She screamed and he moaned against her breast as he came. But he stayed latched on until they were both spent and she collapsed against him.

_'I feel like jello.'_

He chuckled at her.

_'Me too, love.'_

They stayed like that for several minutes until he was finally able to maneuver her off of him. He scooted them both down and held her in his arms, their limbs twined together. Her breathing slowed as she calmed down.

_'No one has ever gotten me to go more than once.'_

_'Well, I'm glad I could be the first.'_

He tightened his hold, hugging her gently.

_'We need to get cleaned up.'_

_'You first. I want to lay here and enjoy the glow for a bit longer.'_

He chuckled at her and got up. He leaned in for a kiss. It was long and lingering and almost had her panting when he was done.

_'For later.'_ He grinned as he went to the en suite. She lay back against the bed and closed her eyes.

_'That was fantastic'_ were the last words she thought before she drifted to sleep.

 


	11. Retaliations

** Retaliations **

Rose woke, like she had most mornings since they'd gotten back, encased in Joshua's arms. She snuggled back into him and realized a couple of things at once. First off, she was very, very naked with a pleasant ache between her legs. Secondly, he was also naked, his morning erection rubbing against her bum and lower back. She stilled, gauging how awake her companion was. He grunted and pulled her closer, nuzzling his face into her back.

She closed her eyes for a moment, not wanting to break his embrace but also knowing they were expected at Torchwood. She followed the thin line of their bond and brushed against his mind.

_'Wake up.'_

_'Don't wanna.'_

_'Neither do I, but we need to start heading towards Torchwood.'_

Joshua groaned before yawning loudly and stretching like a cat. Well, partially at least. One of his arms was still trapped beneath her. He wrapped her in his arms again and whispered in her ear.

“Good morning, beautiful.” Rose smiled.

“As much as I am enjoying laying here with you like this, we really do need to get out of bed.” Joshua sighed and flopped over on his side of the bed, allowing Rose to get up. She walked to her dresser, completely starkers, and Joshua groaned. It was difficult enough to want to get out of bed without her giving him such a pleasant view. He almost begged her to come back to bed but she stepped into the en suite before he could.

“Note to self: The bond makes for a very, very randy Time Lord.” He huffed as he fell back onto the bed. He had to take a moment to compose himself.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

They managed to make it to Torchwood without falling back into bed together. It was difficult to get his mind on the task of working, especially with the bond so new. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. They had to finish taking apart the dimension cannon today.

They made it about halfway through the day before disaster struck. They were all sitting in the Torchwood cafeteria, when they felt the ground shake. The four of them, Jake, Ryan, Rose, and Joshua, exchanged glances before immediately getting up. They left their food on the table. Before they had taken more than two steps, Rose had dialed Pete. Joshua could only here half of the conversation, but what he did hear had his stomach dropping.

“Dad, what the hell is going on?” A pause while she listened.

“No, I had everything smoothed over Monday. They seemed vaguely threatening but I told you about that.” Another pause. Jake and Ryan exchanged glances before they started heading down the corridor. It took half a second before Rose and Joshua tore off after them.

The locker room was already half full when they entered. Rose, Jake and Ryan went towards adjoining lockers. Joshua hadn't been assigned a locker or equipment yet. He frowned when he saw the three of them strap guns to their hips.

“Safety check. Stuns on?” The entire room replied.

“Yes ma'am.”

“Good. We're not sure what the objective will be. Keep radio silence until me, Jake or Pete inform you of what to do. You know your assigned stations. Let's move!” She tossed a flak jacket towards Joshua as well as a headset. She started talking as they ran down the corridors. Joshua had no clue where they were going, but she apparently did.

“No gun for you. I know how you cringe at the sight of them. Do me a favor and stay by someone who can protect you, just in case. These guys are worse than Sontarans in their ruthlessness, but easier to kill, if it comes to that. We set our blasters to stun and they stay that way until we find we gave to become lethal. Pete and I are the only ones who can authorize that. The only way that can be overridden is if we are both captured, killed, or otherwise incapacitated.”

“And how often does that happen?”

“Never, actually. But we have a system designed so one of us is in a safe place, just in case.” Before he could answer, they rounded a corner and almost ran headlong into Jackie and Tony.

“Mum! What are you doing here?”

“We were having lunch with Pete! Then this all started and he told me to head towards the shelter with Tony.”

“Well, where is he?”

“He opened negotiations with those bleedin' Nazurians. I told you both it was a bad idea to try to have a treaty with them.”

“Mum, it was either a treaty at the time or all out open war that we couldn't afford.” Rose whipped her head towards Pete's office, which is where she was headed, then back the way they came. Indecision warred on her face. So, Joshua did the only thing he could. He let his instincts kick in. He turned Rose so she could look him directly in the face.

“Rose, take your Mum to the shelter. I'll go up and help Pete. Maybe between the two of us we can stop this.”

“But this is my job. My life.”

“You know this is also my job, but you're my life. Please, just, get your mother to safety. If you feel the need to head back this way then fine, but get her to safety first. Please, love.” Rose could see the fear and determination on Joshua's face and a little bit of the storm she knew resided there. She nodded, then kissed him.

_'Come back to me safely, my love.'_

Rose picked up Tony and grabbed Jackie's hand.

“Run!” Joshua watched as they ran down the hallway and to what he hoped was safety. He took a deep breath, centering himself. When he started moving again, it was with the single-mindedness of the Doctor. He could and would fix this.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

When he reached Pete's office, he found the man staring at a blank screen. He barely even acknowledged Joshua's presence. A sense of dread had fallen over him.

“Are Jackie and Tony safe?”

“Rose took them down to the shelter.”

“Good. They're talking all-out war. They won't talk to me and they won't negotiate. And short of blowing them out of the sky, I don't know what to do.”

“Well, leave that option open, but let me try something first. Do you have any of those teleports you used to jump between worlds?”

“I do. I also have some of the smaller prototypes. They've been tested at short ranges. Why?”

“Well, I'm going to fiddle with them, then me and a couple of select people will teleport to the ship. As soon as we're gone, I want you to head down to the shelter. In case, if something happens, do not hesitate to do what you need to do.”

“Who do you want up here?”

“Jake's team. And Rose. Who is the tech-savvy person on the team?”

“That would be Kamille. She can hack into anything.”

“Great. Leave whatever program you need to running. She's going to stay down here. If something happens, she'll be the one to pull the trigger.” Pete looked at Joshua, really seeing him for the first time. Of course, he looked and sounded like the Doctor. But this was the first time he'd really acted like it. Up until now he had been tentative, if not a bit shy. Pete realized that this was his element, where he was the most useful.

“Doctor, I know you don't normally use a weapon.”

“Don't, Pete. I'm not changing those morals now. There will be several people around me with weapons. But I'm not taking one.” Joshua sat and started fiddling with the teleports. Pete made the call over the headsets for Jake's team and Rose to come to his office. He looked one last time at Joshua, before clasping him on the shoulders.

“You had better get yourselves back in one piece. Everyone, including yourself. That understood?” Joshua looked up at Pete for a moment. The other man's eyes radiated a paternal concern that felt odd to Joshua. He nodded once before getting back to his work. He barely registered Pete leaving the room.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Jake's team and Rose all burst into the room at the same time. Joshua didn't look up from his work, even when Rose came up behind to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. Jake is the one who broke the silence.

“Wacha working on, Doc?”

“Teleports.” One of the females in the group, Jennifer, he thought, was the next to talk.

“Are we teleporting to the ship?”

“Weelll-” He drew out the word, as was his habit. This made Rose and Jake both smile. “-most of us are. Kamille, you're good with computers, right?”

“So I've been told.”

“You're staying here. Pete has a program running. If I give the word, use it. Whether we are back safely or not. That understood?” Kamille snuck a glance at Rose, then Jake. Both nodded their heads at her.

“Alright Doctor.” Joshua stood up, grinning manically. He tossed each of the group the modified teleports as Kamille went to stand behind Pete's desk. He grasped Rose's hand, and looked at the rest of the group.

“Coordinates have already been programmed.” And pushed his button. He and Rose disappeared and were quickly followed by the rest of the group. Kamille looked at the empty area where her team had just stood.

“I sure hope you know what you're doing, Doctor.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

When they materialized, he expected to be in a cargo hold of some sort. Instead, they found themselves on the bridge of the ship. Everyone, Nazurians and humans both, were stunned for a moment before going into action. The team went into a protective circle around Joshua. The Nazurians, to his astonishment, only seemed to be brandishing spears. The leader growled at them, his guttural language grating on everyone's nerves.

“You bring weapons on my ship!” Joshua cocked his head to the side before stepping outside of the circle. He had a slight hop to his step. He was brimming with energy. More so than he remembered as a Time Lord.

“Well, technically, it's you who brought weapons to my home. We're just defending. Tell me, why exactly did you decide to attack? I mean, I thought we had an understanding the other day when we talked.”

“No truce between our peoples. You are like a virus, plaguing the planet you live on. We've decided we will rid the planet of you pests and take what we need from it.”

“So, basically, you're not any different than we are. At least we make an effort to grow back some of what we destroy.”

“Silence! I will destroy all of your, starting with you.” Gloa brandished his spear, and crouched. It was an aggressive stance that Rose had seen before. Joshua didn't seem to see it, because he kept standing there. Rose was about to open her mouth when Gloa lunged. Joshua side-stepped it easily and it looked like he slapped Gloa on the back. Gloa disappeared, and silence fell across the ship.

“Now, you're leader has disappeared. You have one chance to leave this planet. If not, I will personally destroy your ship, and Gloa. You may not care one iota about him, but consider your own lives. It's your call.” Joshua stepped back to Rose. Simultaneously, they all pressed their teleports and disappeared.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua and crew reappeared in Pete's office. Before them, stunned and on the ground, was Gloa. Kamille still had her blaster trained on him. She spooked and almost shot at the team when they appeared.

“Some warning next time!”

Joshua gave her a slightly sheepish look before turning his attention to the fallen Nazurian. Getting him separated was relatively easy. Now, he hoped that the ship and crew would take the hint and leave.

“Jake, Ryan, get him behind some sort of bars. Make sure to check him really well for weapons, teleports, and other objects. Leave that one on his back. It's been modified to act as a sort of block from any outside teleportation attempts.” The team sprung into action. While Jake and Ryan moved Gloa, Rose called Pete. It only took him a few minutes before he was back in the office. Kamille looked at him proudly.

“Hey boss! They left our airpspace about 5 minutes ago.”

“Great. We'll need to be prepared for a counter attack. It won't be soon, but it will probably happen. They'll just come better prepared next time. Rose, you and Joshua go and help your mother. Kamille, alert the other Torchwoods, planet wide. We're going on alert. Any suspicious space activity is to be reported at once. I'll call the president.”

“Is Mum okay?”

“She fine. Takes more than an alien invasion to rattle her now. But she is playing mother hen. You know how she is. Just, escort her home, please?” Rose nodded. She and Joshua left, Pete looking at where they had been long after they departed.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Rose and Joshua managed to convince Jackie to leave quite quickly. That might have also been because Tony had fallen asleep. Joshua carried the sleeping toddler while Rose and Jackie talked in quiet voices. Not much was said to Joshua on the way to the vehicles and that was alright with him. His heart was still pumping adrenaline wildly through his system.

After seeing Jackie to her car, they followed her home. They didn't get out to chat. They stay long enough to make sure she got inside before heading towards their flat.

Once inside, Rose hugged Joshua as tightly as she could.

_'I'm so glad you're alright and that your plan worked.'_

_'Don't my plans usually work?'_

_'Course they do. It's that next step that you usually don't think through.'_

_'True enough.'_

They stood in one another's embrace. It was Rose who stepped away first. She kissed him hungrily, the fire she felt racing through their bond. Soon enough, all that could be heard was the rhythmic slide of skin against skin.


	12. Asking Permission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short little piece of fluff with a surprise guest!

**Asking Permission**

The rest of the week went smoothly. They dismantled the dimension cannon. After that was complete, Pete sent Joshua to start training for a team. The work was exhausting, he found, but the team worked well. Rose wasn't a part of it, but then, she had her own job. Joshua did as well, technically, but he became one of the few assigned to R&D who were trained in some sort of combat. He still shied away from any weapons, but Jake still insisted he prove that he could shoot one. He then stopped complaining when Joshua proved he was a much better shot than anyone in the company.

“Just because I don't like weapons doesn't mean I can't use them.”

Friday night saw him completely exhausted. He fell onto their couch almost immediately and opted not to move. Rose took pity on him and ordered pizza. He'd cooked every night since they'd been home, so she figured he could use a break.

He let his mind drift while sitting down. He was nervous and anxious about this weekend. He hadn't told Rose, but he planned on asking Pete's permission to marry Rose in a formal Earth ceremony. It didn't need to be posh, but he owed it to her to give her something normal in their not so normal lives. Oh, he knew Rose knew he was planning on getting a ring, but he'd kept the other carefully hidden from her wandering mind.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua and Rose arrived at the mansion at noon on Saturday. He had butterflies in his stomach. His intention today was to talk to Jackie and Pete and ask for Rose's hand in marriage. A very old fashioned thing to do on Earth, but it was typical on Gallifrey. Well, at least for those marriages that weren't political. Joshua also wanted Pete’s help on picking out a ring.

Jackie led them out back to the patio where she had a small lunch prepared. Tony was running around the yard.

“Look at you two! You’re practically glowing!” Joshua’s ears tinged pink but Rose had a full blush.

“Shut up.”

“Oh, you finally did it, didn’t ya!” She squealed at her daughter.

“Jackie.” Pete looked at her with a mock glare. “No need to pry into the kids’ personal lives.”

Jackie rolled her eyes at Pete.

“Actually, Pete, I need to talk to you.” Joshua gestured back towards the house. Pete raised his eyebrow but followed Joshua into the house. Jackie looked at Rose, trying for an explanation.

“You know what that’s about, then?”

“Yup! He’s asking Pete for advice on a jeweler.” Jackie gasped.

“He gonna ask?”

“I think it’s more a formality at this point.”

“Wacha mean?”

“We kinda already bonded.”

Jackie looked at Rose confused.

“That some sort of alien marriage?”

“Pretty much. But we both want an actual ceremony. Nothing big. A hand-fasting. Just a few guests, Mum, not the entire world.”

“But you’re the Vitex heir. It’s expected to be big!”

“I don’t care. This is what we want. Now, if you want, we can just go and elope.” Rose looked at her mother, trying to make her understand. Jackie heaved a large sigh.

“Fine. Something small. Give me the list of people you want invited. And the date and I’ll put the rest of it together for ya.” Rose beamed at her mother and hugged her.

“Thank you.” She whispered. Jackie hugged her tighter.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

In the house, Joshua was nervous. He’d never really courted anyone before. On Gallifrey, marriages had been arranged. Well, his had been. He'd loved his wife, but she was lost to him now. He knew in theory what to do, but standing here with Pete made it seem that much, well, more.

“Doctor, stop pacing.”

Joshua stopped and grinned widely at Pete.

“Glad to see that you still think so.”

“So, what did you call me in here for.”

“Umm, well…canIhaveyourdaughter’shandinmarriage?” He rushed.

“Doctor….I would be honored.” Joshua smiled, full of relief.

“Can I…get your help with a ring?” Pete grinned at him. The courageous man he knew was nervous about getting married. It was amazingly human of him and made Pete think more of the man, if that were possible.

“Don’t worry about the ring. I’ll take care of that. Now, is Rose talking to Jackie about planning the wedding?”

“Yeah. We don’t want anything big, Pete. Just a hand-fasting with a few friends.”

“Gonna be a tough sell to Jackie. This is her only daughter.”

“True, but this is also about damage control. You know how Jeopardy-friendly Rose is, not to mention me. The less people, the less we have to rescue.”

Pete barked out a laugh and Joshua joined in. Neither could deny the truth of those words.

“So, since I know Jackie will be harping on Rose for a bit, why don’t you and I sneak out to the jewelry store. We might get lucky and find something you like.”

“That….that sounds brilliant, Pete.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

“So, what ya lookin’ for sweetie?” River Song, or as she was known here, Melody Pond, asked Joshua for the third time.

“I…um…I’m looking for something with a darkish blue stone.”

“What, no diamonds? Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, you know.” She told him, winking. That seemingly made him even more bothered which delighted her.

“No, not this girl. She has her heart set on blue.”

“Hmm….let me see. Do you want custom made or something we already have?”

“Let’s try with what you have and if I don’t find it, then we’ll look at custom.” He’d apparently gotten over his shock because he was no longer stuttering.

Melody took them over to a case that had rings of varying shades of blue. Some light. Some dark. He spent ten minutes looking them over, taking them out and eyeing them, before he finally found the one he was looking for.

The band was white gold. Set in the middle was a beautiful 2 carat sapphire flanked on each side by a 1 carat diamond. The price was hefty, but Pete assured Joshua he would be more than happy to pay for it.

“Joshua, you’ve given this family more than I can ever repay you for. Let me do this.” Joshua finally relented. Now all he needed to do was find the perfect time to propose.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

On the way back, they talked about the recent invasion attempt. Gloa had been docile since his capture. Apparently, it was dishonorable to be captured and he had tried everything to get the guards to kill him. But the skies had been clear of anyone seeking revenge. The Nazurians hadn't entered into any negotiations and were pointedly ignoring Pete and Rose's attempts at communication.

“I just really don't know what to do with him. He's too dangerous to let loose in society, but I feel really bad about keeping him locked up.”

“Well, he is a criminal, Pete. Let's just give it some time. Maybe he'll come around. If not, by that point we should have figured out what to do with him.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Jackie and Rose had spent the afternoon gossiping. It had taken them about twenty minutes to realize the men had left. Jackie went about trying to embarrass her daughter even though Tony was the only one who could hear. Rose still blushed which delighted Jackie.

It wasn't long after 2:00pm when they heard Pete's car coming up the drive. By that time, Rose and Jackie had compiled the guest list. It had close to fifty people on it, but Rose figured she could deal with that. This week had been exhausting for them all but Rose and Joshua had agreed to watch Tony tonight so Pete and Jackie could go out. They weren't planning on much, but it would give them some time alone which they hadn't really had since they'd gotten back from the jump.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

The night went fairly well. Joshua and Rose let Tony pick their movies for the night. Joshua was surprised to find they still had Disney here. Tony picked several movies. They made a pallet on the floor and the three of them lay there all evening, watching films. They ordered pizza for the second night in a row. Not a single one complained. Eventually, they all drifted to sleep.

Jackie and Pete walked quietly into the house. There in the floor in their living room were their three children. Tony was tucked in between Rose and Joshua. They looked so peaceful and content that Jackie couldn't resist taking a picture. It woke Joshua, of course, but he only lifted his head. He smiled blearily at them, before plopping his head back down and falling asleep.

 


	13. A Proposal

**A Proposal**

Joshua had never been so nervous in his life. Or in the Doctor’s life. He and Rose had already made a lifelong commitment. Now they were trying to solidify it in the eyes of both their peoples. But first, he had to propose. He wanted it to be perfect for her.

The date was March 4, 2011. It was a Friday. Joshua and Rose had been bonded for just over a week. And for that time, he had wracked his brain, trying to find some way to take her breath away.

He had left Torchwood at noon. He spent the afternoon getting everything ready. When Rose got home, he instructed her to dress for a date in the outdoors. He loaded the cooler and blanket into the back of the car while she was changing, trying not to spoil the surprise. It was near dusk when they finally headed out.

He drove her to a park outside of the city. He set up a picnic and beckoned her to join him. She grinned her cheeky little grin.

They ate the various types of nibbles that he had made. He had also brought wine glasses and poured them each a glass of wine. Since coming here, and becoming human, they had a found a nice sweet dessert wine that he liked. They sat and ate, watching the stars come out. They talked, about nothing and everything. They talked of their travels in the past, and places they wanted to go in the future. Mostly, they tried to enjoy one another’s company.

Once the stars were out, Rose nestled herself into Joshua’s arms as they lay staring at the night sky. He tilted her head back towards him and kissed her. Deep and slow. They kissed until they both ran out of breath. He edged his head back and looked her in the eyes.

“Rose Marion Tyler, for 900 years I have traversed time and space. When I met you, I was ready to give up. I had lost my home, my family, and wanted nothing more than to lose my life. But then I met this wonderful woman, all pink and yellow. She was brave, and didn’t mind the dangers of my life. She understood my life and my choices, and didn’t bat an eye when hard choices needed to be made. She supported me in everything. And then I lost her. Before that, I thought I could keep her at arms length. I did all sorts of stupid things to try to keep myself from falling deeper than I already had. It wasn’t until I thought I had lost you forever that I saw how much of a fool I had been. I was already in love long before that. That's when I realized that I would do anything for you once I got you back. I love you, Rose Tyler. I know we're already bonded...but would you do me the honor of marrying me?”

Rose had teared up during his speech. He never faltered, and never took his eyes off hers. At some point, unnoticed to Rose, he had pulled out the ring. He gently pressed the box into her hands, waiting for her response. She smiled at him and brought him down for a heated kiss.

_'Of course I'll marry you, you daft alien.'_

They melted into one another.

 


	14. Introducing Melody Pond

**Introducing Melody Pond**

Jackie Tyler was a social creature. Anyone who knew her knew this. Jackie made it a point to be sociable with all of her husband’s contacts. As such, most of them had been to the mansion at one point or another.

That’s where Joshua and Rose found themselves a week after he officially proposed. Jackie was insistent on throwing an engagement party and she had invited a few of her and Pete’s contacts.

Joshua kept to himself most of the evening. He watched Rose mix and mingle with the crowds. He was happily munching on nibbles when Melody appeared beside him.

“Hello, sweetie. How’re you doing this evening?”

Joshua almost choked on what he was eating. After recovering, he looked at Melody and gave her a small smile.

“Doing good.”

“I take I she liked the ring?”

“She loved it. It was perfect.”

“So…how’d ya do it? Fancy dinner?”

“Nope. Picnic under the stars.”

“Oh, that sounds dreamy.”

Rose had stepped back over by Joshua’s side at this point.

“Hey Melody. Wasn’t expecting you in. I take it you’ve met Joshua?”

“Oh Rosie, he bought your ring from me. Took a bit to find one he liked but I think we did pretty well. What about, you, though? I thought you weren’t coming back once you found him. What gives?”

“Pushy as ever, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely. Now, I thought you weren’t coming back. I was all prepared to have to console your mum. So…?”

“We had a change of plans, Mel. That’s all. He decided he would be okay staying here with me and my folks.”

“If you say so. I know there’s more to this story. But I also know you and I know you won’t tell me right now. So, if you’ll excuse me, there’s a certain Vitex wife I need to go talk to.” And with that, Melody sauntered off leaving Joshua a bit confused. Rose, perceptive as she was, noticed.

“What’s bothering you?”

“I’ve met her, in the other Universe. She whispered my name in my ear. My real name. The only person I could ever do that with was my wife. She’s going to be his wife one day, in the other Universe.”

Rose raised an eyebrow at this.

“Well, here, she’s one of my mom’s best friends. She’s a bit of an enigma. She appeared out of nowhere. Well, that's not entirely true. She had fallen through the Rift with no memories. Torchwood took her in and she and Mum became close. She's human, that much we know.”

Joshua looked thoughtful for a moment.

“When I met her, she knew everything about me, like she was living her life in reverse to mine. I only know of one way, one place, that can make a person do that.”

“Doesn’t matter. That life is past you and she is obviously a different person here.”

“I….you know what, you’re right.”

 


	15. Time Lord Victorious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Life happened and I've been away from the internet. I will try to get back on track within this next week. As always, thank you for reading!

**Time Lord Victorious**

Joshua woke the next morning with a pounding headache. He wrote it off as a hangover, although he really didn't remember drinking that much. He lay in bed for a bit, hoping it would go away but he had no such luck. Rose was already up and about, probably talking to Jackie about wedding plans. Joshua got out of bed slowly, each movement making the pounding worse. He managed to get dressed, and started his way slowly down the stairs, towards the kitchen.

He shuffled his way slowly across the floor, each step trying not to jar his head. Now that he was up and moving, he felt nauseous as well. He almost made it to the kitchen, but a fresh wave of pain and nauseous hit him, so intense that he fell to the floor. He was unconscious before he hit the floor.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

_Joshua looked around at the scenery. He was standing on a red planet with his orange space suit on, staring across the landscape. In the distance, he could see what appeared to be a small colony unit. The white of the walls contrasted greatly with the red of the sand._

_He started forward, head in the direction of the colony. Even though he'd parked only about a mile away, it seemed like forever before he finally reached it. He used his sonic screwdriver to get inside. The halls were mostly barren, which he kind of expected. These types of exploration colonies usually didn't hold more than ten people at a time. Something about this one set his stomach to churning, but he attempted to ignore it._

_It didn't take long before he was captured and brought in front of the commanding officer._

“ _State your name, rank, and purpose.”_

“ _The Doctor. Doctor. Fun.” There he goes, being a smart-ass when he has a gun pointed towards his head._

It was at this point that Joshua realized he had been sucked into his counter-part's mind. He tried to sever the connection, but something kept him held in place. No matter how he tried, he couldn't disconnect. He watched the scene unfold like a horror story.

_The leader seemed to mistrust him, and rightfully so. Not that he had a malicious intent, but because he'd walked into the base. As far as they knew, there wasn't technology out there that could do that. So he was treated with suspicion._

_As the adventure progressed and things became tense, it finally dawned on the Doctor why he'd felt so nauseous. This was a fixed point, something he couldn't change. He wanted to, so badly. He was so tired of following all the rules whenever all the Universe did was take away everything he ever wanted. For once, he was going to do what he wanted, damn the rules._

Joshua cringed. Joshua was supposed to be the violent, self-destructive one. At least that's what the Doctor had said. But this, this was beyond destructive. It wasn't exactly suicidal, but it was evil. Joshua knew what happened to a Time Lord who didn't follow established rules. Those rules were there for a reason.

_The Doctor watched as the entire team was taken over by the water. He had an escape plan, but knew that no one was supposed to live through this encounter. It was fixed, but he didn't care. He was determined that Adelaide would live. Even if he couldn't save everyone, he could save her. Damn the rules._

_They landed on Earth and Adelaide left the TARDIS. Snow was coming down, and lights were up on the flats. Christmas time, he assumed. He confessed to Adelaide what was supposed to happen, that she was supposed to die that day. Her and her crew never made it back from that expedition and no one ever knew why. He called himself the Time Lord Victorious and time would bend to his will._

_Adelaide went inside her home. The sound of a gun shot would echo through the Doctor's mind for centuries. A warning to himself that he could go too far. That he did go too far. He stumbled back to his TARDIS, horrified at himself and what he'd become. His song was ending soon. He'd seen the signs and had an idea of what they meant. His final death. And he was so, so afraid._

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua woke slowly. His head was still pounding an his body ached. He could feel harsh bright lights shining on him, making him close his eyes tighter. He could hear the beeping of machines. Someone's hand clasped his own, drawing soothing circles on the back of it.

He groaned and turned to his side, facing whomever had his hand. He heard a gasp. Whoever squeezed his hand gently before getting up and walking out of the room. He was left alone and almost started panicking. He calmed immediately when he heard Rose's voice yelling down the hallway.

“Mum! Dad! He's awake!”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

He kept his eyes closed through the entire interrogation because that's what it felt like. It took the doctor coming in and turning off the lights to coax his eyes open. Standing around his bed were Rose, Jackie, Pete, Jack and the man who had given him his physical. Doctor Martin was his name. Joshua had chuckled a bit and called him “Doc Martin”. Rose and Jackie got the reference but it went right over Pete's head. They didn't have that brand of shoes here.

Doc Martin went over his vitals with him. Apparently, he'd passed out on his way to the kitchen. Rose and Jackie heard him fall. When they'd gotten to him, he'd been unresponsive but otherwise fine. His vitals fluctuated the entire time he was out, but nothing too alarming. It'd only been a couple of hours since he'd arrived at the Torchwood operated hospital, but the entire family had been tense. Well, everyone but Rose. Rose had stayed calm and collected through the entire ordeal. Even now, she seemed to not be bothered one bit by his strange episode.

_'Are you alright, love?'_

Rose raised her eyes to his and he bit back a gasp. They were completely golden. Not glowing like when she had absorbed the Vortex, but definitely not her normal color either. Her eyes were lighter and reminded him of a wolf. She bent down and whispered in his ear. The two-toned sound of her voice gave him chills.

“Doctor, this will not break you. But you have to stop running. It is time.”

She sat back and seemed to shiver. When she looked back at Joshua, her eyes were mostly normal again. He blinked rapidly, trying to process what had happened.

“It was horrible, Rose, what he did. Tell me it wasn't true.”

“I'm so, so sorry, but he has no one. He's lost everything, including a part of himself. He's gone a bit mad. It's not wonder he tried to do this.”

“You...you know what happened?” Rose nods, pursing her lips together.

“I have seen all that was, is, and could be. Of course I saw this. But yes, I used the bond to take a peak. I wasn't pulled in like you were. Not wholly. It felt more like watching the telly.”

“Oh...” Joshua felt the brush of her mind against his.

_'We'll talk when we get home, love.'_

Joshua nodded. Jackie and Pete finally broke away from Doc Martin. The doctor smiled at Joshua before starting to unhook him from the machines.

“Well, you gave your family quite the scare. Your vitals spiked, but nothing to alarming. It was mostly you passing out that startled them. We've had dealings with psychic attacks before and if you don't mind, I'd like you to stop by daily to make sure you're mind isn't damaged, for at least a week. Rose explained the nature of your connection. I'm fairly certain that you are fine and won't have any problems. Mostly, I'm just worried about a relapse. What will happen the next time something traumatic happens to him?”

“Well, honestly, I'm sure it will happen again when he regenerates. He could hold a body for centuries but he seems to think that he's coming to an end soon. So, I can only assume that I'll still be alive when it happens.”

“Ah, well, this might sound a bit, overprotective of me, but for mine and your family's piece of mind, could you make sure you have someone near you most of the time?”

“You're treating me like a seizure patient, aren't you?”

“Not exactly, but at the same time, yes. We're won't be putting you on medication, but this episode is very similar to a seizure-like episode. Like I said, a bit overprotective on my part, but I'd rather not risk you getting seriously hurt because you fell.”

“I'll consider it.”

“No driving, either. Not until we're sure this has passed.” Joshua closed his eyes and sighed. He honestly, at that moment, hated the Time Lord. He could properly get on with his life because of him!

_'I love you.'_ Rose breathed through his mind, soothing him.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Jackie insisted they come back to the mansion that night and refused to take no for an answer.

“Look, Doctor, you were just ill not twelve hours ago. I'm not sure if my heart can take something happening to you. Especially not since this is the happiest I've seen my Rose in years. You're coming home with us and I just might make you move in. Never did like that flat she moved to.”

“Don't...Jackie, please don't call me Doctor.” She blinked her eyes at him.

“Why the heck not? It's who you are, isn't it?”

“No, I'm my own person.” Jackie pinched the bridge of her nose before replying.

“Doctor. Joshua. Doesn't matter which I call you, really. A person is the sum of his memories. My daughter told me that after you got here, trying to convince me that you were the same person. You have over 900 years of memories still in your head. You are the Doctor. Not a copy. Not a cheap throw-away.”

“I...I appreciate what you're trying to say, Jackie. Really I do. And you don't know how glad I am that you and Pete are taking this as well as you are. But I _**want**_ to be seen as a separate person from him. Rose understands that. Please, call me by the name I picked for myself.”

“Oh alright. I'll try. If anyone in this world understands, it's me. Some of Pete and my biggest rows have been one or the other comparing. Lord knows I'm not his Jackie nor he my Pete, but we've made it work. Just remember, -Joshua, we want what's best for the two of you.”

Joshua smiled the most genuine smile he'd ever given Jackie. Soon they were hugging and laughing and crying and Joshua felt an intense sense of _**home**_. Not for the first time since landing here, he wondered how he had gotten so lucky to be the one left here.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Later, in their room in their wing of the mansion, Joshua finally brought up what had been bugging him all day.

“Rose, why didn't you tell me?” Rose looked quickly away, hurt flicking across her face. She didn't answer so he continued talking. “You telepathy is outstanding for a human. And today, your eyes glowed gold and you were...you were Bad Wolf again. How long as this been going on?”

Rose took a deep breath and held it. When she exhaled, it was shaky. Joshua realized that she was scared to breach this subject with him. Terrified even. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly to him, murmuring soft words and caressing her.

“It's okay, Rose. I'm sorry I brought it up. I didn't...I didn't know it was such a touchy subject for you. You don't have to talk to me about it right now, love.”

_'It started right after we arrived here. Only thing I can think of is that the particles were dormant. I was so afraid when I fell that they triggered, but it was too late. Pete had already caught me and brought me back here. I was in agony for days, cut off from you, the TARDIS and the Vortex. Finally, though, the pain seemed to subside. I walked through the world numb, barely living. Mum and Mickey tried everything but it was Pete who finally was able to pull me out of it by giving me a purpose._

_I started Torchwood, not really wanting to be there. That first day, though, I created the allegiance with the Arcadians. I couldn't figure out why everyone was looking at me weirdly. I didn't know that I was speaking their language perfectly. I just assumed they were speaking English. That was the first indication that Bad Wolf had awakened._

_The next wasn't until I started the dimension cannon. They tried at first sending something that wasn't human. Nothing alive. It came back corrupted. Pete and Mum didn't want me to go but Jake, Mickey and I snuck in one night. We fired it up and I went through. I'm not even sure where I landed, actually. They only let me be gone for a few minutes before bringing me back. They said what I landed, I was glowing yellow. Mickey knew what it meant. I'd told him how I'd gotten back to you at the Game Station. But this is the first he'd seen with his own eyes._

_I went to so many worlds. Saw so much heartache, and evil, and have died a thousand deaths. You couldn't tell that looking at my body. I have no scaring from my dimension hopping. But I've been broken and scattered. I've seen worlds where you didn't exist. Some where you were evil. Some where I was evil. It made me go a bit mad. I finally had to make myself a tape to listen to after each jump so I could know I was in the correct place and not losing my mind._

_That's why I have nightmares. That's why I've been clinging to you in my sleep. Because I have so much to hide. And I'm so afraid that if I let go of your in my sleep that you will disappear. I'm not sure if I could bear that.'_

Joshua didn't say anything. He just kept rocking Rose and murmuring soothingly. He sent her a wave of love down the bond and wrapped her tightly in it. His ministrations finally started calming her and she stepped back, wiping tears from her face.

“Thank you, Joshua, for everything. For just listening. I've never...Mickey, Jake, Pete...none of them know what I went through trying to find out. They suspect quite a bit but none of them know. And I'm just...one days, I'll let you see the memories, if you want. But not right now. I want...I want a good long soak in the bath and then bed.”

“Your wish is my command.”

 


	16. Wedding Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay. Real life has gotten a bit hectic.

**Wedding Plans**

Joshua and Rose stayed with her parents through that week. Things became a bit claustrophobic for Joshua. Jackie was constantly hinting at and asking about grandchildren. After the fifth time of him explaining that he still wasn't sure if they would be able to have kids, he huffed and walked out of the house. Rose looked at Jackie and glared, shaking her head.

“Stop, Mum. He's already told you that we don't know if we'll be able to. Just, stop.”

“But Rose-”

“No buts, Mum.” And Rose walked out on her, off to search for Joshua.

He hadn't gone far. Rose found him sitting on the swing in the back yard. He had his head propped up with one of his hands and was staring into the distance. She sat down quietly beside him and took his hand, twining their fingers together. They sat silently, neither really wanting to talk, nor really needing to. Emotions on both sides of the bond were boiling.

After a while, Jackie came back outside. Joshua tried ignoring her presence until she placed a plate in front of him with freshly made banana bread. He blinked and looked up at her. Instead of the scowl he expected, she seemed a bit dejected and resigned.

“I'm sorry for pushing, Joshua. I didn't even bother asking if that's what you wanted. I was shoving my morals and goals onto the two of you and that wasn't right. I can't lie, though. I do want grandchildren, but maybe I should let you get your lives in order before I start harping about that. Truce?” Joshua considered telling her no, but he didn't want to harbor a grudge against her. He took the plate with the peace offering of banana bread. He stood up and sat the plate down and enveloped Jackie in a hug. She was surprised at first but quickly hugged him back.

“Now, Joshua, I need to take Rose to look at dresses. I know the wedding is still a few months off, but the quicker we get most things done, the longer we'll have to get the fittings and stuff done. And no, before you ask, you can't go with us. You're not seeing the dress before the wedding. We'll let you know the color scheme so you can make sure your best man and yourself are dressed correctly. Who will be your best man?”

“Jake.” Rose and Joshua said simultaneously. They grinned goofily at one another and Jackie rolled her eyes.

“Alright. C'mon, Rose. Joshua, Pete's in his study on a teleconference. Would you mind looking after Tony until he'd done?”

“Sure.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

“We're picking up Melody on the way. You said you were having her as your maid of honor?”

“Yeah, Mum. I like a lot of the girls I work with but Mel is the only person we've met since coming here that I've really connected with. She's my best friend. Better than Shireen or Keisha ever were.”

“Well, Joshua seems to have taken a liking to her as well.”

“That's because he met a version of her in the other Universe. He didn't tell me much but it seems that she will eventually marry the Time Lord. At least, that's what Joshua thinks.”

“Wow...I'd say it's a bit difficult to see him married. I mean, I can already see some of the differences between Joshua and the Doctor. I can see how those bits of Donna's personality have changed him for the better, really.”

“I like him fine the way he was, Mum.” Jackie rolled her eyes at her daughter.

“Well, of course you did. But you also love him the way he is now.” Jackie didn't bother asking her if it was true. It was a fact which she'd seen every day this week. But after their rocky start to the day, Jackie didn't want to push.

They picked up Melody outside her work. She had put a 'closed' sign up for the day. Rose had never seen her close her shop early. Melody slid into the back seat.

“Hello ladies. How's the bride-to-be?”

“Cranky. She and Joshua stayed with us all week. Even though they were at work most of the time, they apparently have had enough of me.”

“Well duh, Jackie! No adult wants to be in the same house as her parents and the person she's shagging. They've probably had a dry spell all week!” Rose blushed while Melody and Jackie laughed. She could already tell that today was going to be a long day.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Rose was frustrated. The three of them had been here for five hours and she was no closer to picking out a dress now than when they arrived. Rose called Joshua to vent and maybe get an idea.

“ _Hello.”_

“Hello.”

“ _You three done yet?”_

“Nope. I'm about ready to give up, actually.”

“ _Why? I thought you enjoyed shopping.”_ Rose could hear the smirk she was sure was on his face.

“You're one to talk. I seem to recall exactly how happy you were modeling for me.”

“ _Well, I'll model for you later, if you want.”_ Rose could imagine Joshua wiggling his eyebrows. She collapsed into a fit of giggles. Joshua tried to act offended but ended up laughing with her. Finally, they both quieted.

“Thank you for the laugh. I think that's what I needed.”

“ _To laugh?”_

“And to hear your voice.” Then line went silent for a moment. Then soft, just barely above a whisper, Rose heard Joshua's reply.

“ _Rose Tyler, I love you.”_

“I love you too.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Rose went back to dress shopping in a much better mood. She began looking through the dresses, trying to get ideas on how to alter them to make the perfect dress. While talking to Joshua, she'd had an idea for a color scheme for the wedding. Now she had to find a dress it would look good with.

Amazingly, it was Melody who pointed her in the right direction. Rose fell in love with the dress immediately, and it would do quite nicely for what she had in mind. After she explained her plan to the seamstress, they sat down and planned the perfect dress.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

When Rose and Jackie finally got home, Joshua was out of his mind with curiosity. Of course, Jackie insisted that he couldn't know how the dress really looked until their wedding day. Rose rolled her eyes at her Mum and mouthed _'later'_ to Joshua.

Rose and Jackie spent the rest of the day barricaded in Pete's study, going over wedding plans. More than once, Joshua heard yelling from the room. And some squealing. Taking a hint from Pete and Tony, Joshua stayed on the other end of the mansion, away from the clamor of their plotting.

He ended up back in the yard, on the bench swing. It's funny how his day seems to have ended in the same place where it started. Then again, all his time in the TARDIS was exactly the same. His life really hadn't changed much. This was a different adventure all together.

It was nearing six o'clock before the women extracted themselves from the study. Both looked exhausted. Rose slowly walked towards Joshua and laid her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

_'Everything sorted?'_

_'Mostly. Still a few things. Good news is, you get to wear the blue suit.'_

_'Bad news?'_

_'It's going to be a little bigger than what we had originally wanted it. Good reason for it, but still.'_

Joshua raised an eyebrow but remained silent. He trusted that they would get the details settled without him. Hopefully. He really didn't want to get into an argument with Jackie Tyler.

 


	17. The Vault

**The Vault**

Pete's day usually started with meetings with the department heads before everyone separated. He held smaller meetings with his field teams. He knew every employee by name, as well as their contributions to the company. He also knew most of their families. Torchwood had become a household name since he took over. After Lumic, came the realizations that they could be betrayed by their own. Aliens suddenly didn't seem like such a problem any more.

Easily a third of the Earth's population had been wiped out by Lumic and his experiments. It was worse in the more developed countries, where almost everyone could afford the earbuds. England had loss an entire half of it's population. The Colonies had fared much worse, with almost two thirds of their population converted.

When England proposed the reopening of Torchwood, most of the world despised the idea. But instead of hiding alien invasions, like had been done in the past, Torchwood let the world see how things really were. It didn't take long for a branch to be established in most developed countries. Each worked independently from the other, but they all followed the same guidelines. With Rose's help, Earth quickly became one of the leading destinations in the solar system. While Earth didn't quite have the technology to go off-world yet, they held treaties with several civilizations which had led to scientists leaving to learn off-world. It was one of the achievements Pete was so proud of. This also gave them a chance to get quite a bit of “merchandise” from these peoples, all of which were currently in the Vault.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

The first time Joshua stepped into the Vault, he had to step back out again. The sheer immensity of it overwhelmed his senses. Inside, somewhere, was a Time Distorter. He hadn't seen one of those since the Time War. He gasped for breath and described it to Calvin. It took a bit of searching, but he finally found the device. Joshua quickly walked him through how to disable it. Joshua eyed the device warily once Calvin brought it back out.

“Why did this not affect me, Joshua?” Joshua slid down the wall to sit on the floor, cradling his head in his hands. His head was pounding and he'd only been exposed for a few seconds.

“You aren't Time sensitive. I never would have thought that a device like this would be in this Universe.”

“But what does it do?” Joshua exhaled gruffly before continuing with his explanation.

“This was one of the more potent weapons against Time Lords to ever be developed. It distorts and warps Time around it, which can cause a Time Lord to fall unconscious. Even with this body being part human, I still have a fairly good Time sense and it drives me bananas. Ninety-nine percent of species in the Universe wouldn't be affected by it. It was the perfect weapon that could be disguised and no one would know it was there until a Time Lord stumbles upon it. The question is, how did it get here?”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Rose pinched the bridge of her nose while trying to make sense of what she was being told. Gloa was apparently going on a hunger strike as well as tormenting those who came near him. Rose wanted nothing more to integrate him into the populace, but he'd been aggressive and threatening to anyone who came near, no matter their species. He flat out refused to talk to Joshua or Rose, often lunging and barring his teeth like an animal. Pete was at his wit's end trying to deal with the savage. Their meeting was interrupted by Joshua bursting through the doors, Calvin on his heels.

“Do you have any idea the weapons of mass destruction you have in your Vault?!” Joshua was furious and close to shrieking. The Time Distorter had greatly unnerved him and he knew he was acting irrationally. That didn't stop Joshua from getting in Pete's face, a low growl issuing from his throat. Pete and Rose both sat, stunned. Calvin's eyes flitted back and forth. Rose lowered her eyes to the object in Calvin's hands and sucked in a sharp breath.

“I thought we destroyed that.” Joshua backed away from Pete and spared a glance at Rose. She'd become deathly pale, staring at the contraption. “Pete, I thought we destroyed that. What the hell is it doing down in the Vault?”

“Rose, do you know what this is?” Joshua's voice had gone quiet and his eyes were searching hers. She looked him in the eyes and shook her head.

“The first time I saw it, I just thought it looked pretty. It stayed on my desk for a while. The script reminded me of the notes you kept in the console room. I knew it had to come from Gallifrey but I wasn't sure how it had gotten here. I foolishly thought that if I unlocked it's secrets, I'd be able to find a way back. It was Mickey to accidentally triggered it. I was on my way back from a meeting with Pete when I felt it turn on. I started having seizures. It took them almost an hour to figure out what it was I was having a reaction to. By that point I had already been heavily sedated and strapped to a bed. When I finally woke, I begged my father to have it destroyed. I didn't know at the time what it actually did, but I knew I was the only one affected. We always thought it was because of my prolonged exposure to the Vortex. Mickey and Mum didn't have that much. Mickey did end up getting a headache from handling it, so it sounded like a good theory.” Pete had kept quiet this entire time. Simultaneously, Joshua and Rose looked at him and arched an eyebrow. If he hadn't already known about their bond, he would have been unnerved. As it was, he just squirmed in his seat a bit before replying.

“We've head and seen so many great things from you, Doctor. But we have all also seen how you work, how dangerous you can be. I didn't have it destroyed because if it's here, who is to say that there might not be other Time Lords? Some that aren't as friendly as you.”

“I killed my entire race, Pete. I seriously doubt you will have to face another like me in your entire life. But this also caused Rose to get sick. Why on Earth would you keep it, especially after she asked you to destroy it?”

“I don't think you'd understand.” Joshua narrowed his eyes at Pete.

“Try me.” Pete sighed, defeated. He motioned for everyone to leave his office except Joshua and Rose. This stopped being about Torchwood long ago and more about him failing to protect his daughter.

“We kept it as a last resort in case we had Time Travelers come and mean us harm. It seemed to work on anyone who had traveled through the Vortex to an extent. Rose was by far the worst and yes, she asked me to destroy it. But I thought it best not in case something worse tried to attack us.” Joshua hung his head. He knew Pete was right but it still angered him. He kept having flash backs to the Time War.

“I don't know how this got here, Pete, but it needs to be put away in a safer spot. Some place where only you have access. As much as I hate to admit it, you have a point. It just needs to be kept away from me and Rose. I think we're done for the day. I am, at least. I can't...not after feeling that.” Pete glanced at his daughter. She glared at him and he sighed again. He hadn't wanted to hurt his family but protect it by any means necessary. Apparently, he'd managed to mess that up grandly.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Once home, Joshua curled into a ball on their bed. Rose nestled in beside him, offering what physical comfort she could. She brushed the edges of his mind and he whimpered. She didn't push to be let in but continued to send him soothing waves of comfort and love. Eventually, he uncurled himself and wrapped his arms around her. He still didn't let her in. He was still a bit too raw for that. Images of the Time War still flashed behind his eyelids. Those weren't scenes he wanted her to see right now.

Although his mind was still mostly Time Lord, the little bit of human in him made it more difficult for him to compartmentalize and lock away these bad memories. If Rose didn't know better, she would think he was having a psychotic break. However, there wasn't really anything either could do but let the episode play itself out.

Joshua couldn't help but think how weak he had become as a human. His wit was still as strong as ever, but between the hormones and the emotional swings he was having, he was starting to have a difficult time coping. For the first time since starting at Torchwood, he wondered if it were the best idea. Perhaps he should think about finding a more mundane job.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Pete stood in front of the broken cell, wondering what they could do now. Gloa, it seemed, had escaped. Security was rolling back tape to see if he had inside help or if their cells were really that shoddy. From just looking at it, it seemed that he had ripped two bars off and slipped through. Pete still wasn't sure how he'd escaped the complex. Security had swept the complex, scanning ever crevice and come up with nothing. All this just days before the Shadow Proclamation was to arrive and detain him pending his trial.

Pete resisted the urge to call Joshua or Rose. He understood more than anyone the issues a person faced while coping with a new identity. They had counselors specifically designed for that. They had to, with all the off-worlders who had integrated themselves into Earth's population. He pulled out his phone and sent Rose a text message.

_'Gloa has escaped. Be on high alert. Call me this evening. -Dad'_

After sending the text message, he called his head of security.

“Jason, I need a surveillance unit sent to Rose's residence. Send them each with a weapon with live rounds and one with tranqs. Brief them of the situation. The objective is still to take him alive unless it's a matter of life or death.”

He hangs up the phone after a brief acknowledgment of orders. He runs his hand over his scalp, lightly massaging the back of his neck. Jake sidles up beside him, arms crossed.

“So, boss, what are we going to tell the Shadows when they get here?”

“With any luck, we will have him back in custody.”

“And if we don't?”

“Well, if we don't then I guess it's time to get Ambassador Tyler to talk to them.”

 


	18. The Shadow Proclamation

**The Shadow Proclamation**

Joshua woke to a knock on the front door. He scrunched his face together and squinted at the clock. It was just after 6:00 pm. He and Rose had been home for four hours. Speaking of Rose, she was rousing next to him. The knocking came again, louder and more insistent this time. Rose sat up, sleep dissipating almost immediately and ran towards the front door. He got up and followed behind her.

There, standing on their doorstep, were two Torchwood agents in full riot gear. Joshua stood in the hallway, confusion on his face while they talked in hushed tones to Rose. He watched as she went from sleepy to alert in seconds. Through their bond, he felt a wave of fear as well as determination. He saw Rose nod curtly once before they turned and walked out the door. She turned on her heel and even from where he was standing, he could tell she'd converted to soldier-mode. He loved and hated that she was like this. A part of him felt that it was his fault and he ruined all of his companions.

Before he could delve further into his self-loathing, she kissed him quickly on the mouth before retreating to their bedroom. Curious, he followed her. She was lugging a case out of the closet and dragging it towards their bed.

His eyes widened when she opened it. Inside was what could only be described as every secret agent's wet dream. His lovely Rose had a cache of armor and weapons stored in the case. If he didn't know better, he would have thought it was bigger on the inside with as much as he saw.

Two things clicked in his mind at once. Number One: why in the world did she have this much weaponry in her home? And Number Two: why was she gearing up? What had those agents told her. Tentatively, Joshua reached his hand out, touching hers lightly, stopping her. Her gaze startled him. It was fierce and determined and or so frightened. She'd slammed the walls around her mind up tightly, and he had no idea what was going on. At his look of worry, she softened a bit, if only to let him know what was going on.

“Gloa has escaped Torchwood. We have agents sweeping the city as discreetly as possible and a detail on us but no news yet. Pete seems to think that he'll come after us.”

Joshua opens his mouth, then closes it. He wants to tell her that she doesn't need all this, weaponry and gadgets but really, he has no room to tell her not to. Since coming here, he's had to rely on these types of things as much as she has. While he hasn't personally used a weapon, he's not complained once when someone has had to use one to protect him or Rose.

He resigns himself, and not for the first time, that she isn't the same person who was separated from him. Most of the time she is, but she carries a weight with her now that is similar to his. She's seen way too much in her short life.

His inner musings only took seconds, but in that time she has found a second flak jacket and had shoved it towards him. He arched his eyebrow and she pursed her lips.

“We're heading to Torchwood. No safer place for us right now. I'm going to contact the Shadow Proclamation and see if they can assist us in tracking him.”

“Wait, don't they usually shoot first and ask questions later?” Rose shrugged on her own flak jacket before starting to strap on a gun holster.

“Only if they send the Judoon. Since we are no longer just a Level Five planet, they tend to work with us a bit more. We already contacted them in regards to Gloa and they were sending a squad to pick him up. I'll see if I can't get that expedited.”

“Wait, this isn't a Level Five planet?” Rose snickered, the confusion on Joshua's face a bit cute. She patted him on the shoulder before answering.

“They don't really have a level for us yet. We can't do deep space travel, even though we have allies who can. There's a strict agreement that they can't give us the technology, we have to discover it on our own. Sort of like Star Trek's noninterference policy, but they actually follow it. But we are aware of the life outside our own planet, which isn't typical of a Level Five planet. So the Architect is thinking of redoing the levels of planet, specifically for us. It bothers her greatly that we don't have a place.”

Joshua snickered, thinking of the Architect he'd met just before he'd found Rose again. He could see her being a bit perplexed over this Earth. He looked up to Rose to find her sliding a magazine into her pistol before holstering it.

“Time to go, love. We'll call Pete on the way.” Joshua nodded numbly before following her. This day had been a roller coaster for him and it wasn't even over yet. Something told him it wouldn't be for quite a while. He couldn't help but admire how Rose was able to go. He wished he had half her stamina. For the first time, he wondered how his companions ever kept up with him.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Several hours later, Joshua was thinking that he really needed to get a different line of work. While this was what he had been doing for centuries as a full Time Lord, he was beginning to see that as a human, he was much more fragile and more prone to exhaustion than he was used to. His arm was in a sling, and she was sporting a gash across her right calf. They'd found Gloa after about sixteen hours of searching.

_Rose and Jake had taken charge of a team each. There were seven teams in all, including theirs, each searching a section of the city. Rose had contacted the Shadow Proclamation before they had set out. They expedited their arrival, and would only take a few hours instead of the couple of days they had originally planned. Apparently, they were taking his threat to Earth seriously and would be brought on formal charges of endangering a designated asylum planet. Joshua was surprised to hear that phrasing, but Rose and Pete had already hinted as much to him. With much of the Earth's population gone during their Cyber War, they'd supplemented quite a bit with refugees._

_Rose and Joshua were coupled with several people he'd never seen before but Rose seemed to know. One, he learned, was Ianto Jones. Joshua knew in his former world, he was Jack Harkness' partner. He wondered briefly how this Ianto would react to that news. But that was a train of thought for another time._

_They were canvasing one of the many heavily wooded parks in this version of London. This was one of the changes that he had enjoyed the most. Coming to one of these parks, the bright lights of London faded a bit and he could see the stars clearly. More than once, he and Rose had found themselves in the park, staring at the stars they could no longer visit._

_It was difficult to track in the dark. Not like they really had anything to track. No, they were just looking behind every tree and scanning every hole, making sure Gloa wasn't there. Joshua really didn't fancy running in to him, honestly. He didn't think it would be as easy to get the upper hand this time. If Gloa were smart, he would've made or acquired a weapon by now._

Rose was in the bed next to him, an oxygen mask on her face. He was the only one of the Team that hadn't suffered from smoke inhalation. He was the only one of the Team that hadn't been in the building when it had exploded. By the time he reached the building, the sprinkler system had turned on, dousing most of the fire.

_They'd reached an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. It was decided that Rose and the Team would sweep the building while Joshua called in. They were required to call in certain intervals. Rose had a gut feeling that Gloa was at this warehouse. Joshua had learned long ago to trust Rose's instincts._

_He was in the middle of the call when the bomb went off. His bond to Rose was abruptly severed. Joshua immediately went numb. All emotions were swept to the side and righteous anger emerged. He slammed the phone shut, not finishing the conversation and stalked towards the building. He was single-mindedly determined, and was seeing red._

Rose was still unconscious, the concussive force of the blast knocking the entire Team out. Amazingly, no one was badly hurt. Well, no one from the Team at least. With the exception of the gash on Rose's leg, they had only suffered from smoke inhalation. Apparently, something was watching over them all.

_Joshua marched through the debris to what he knew was the center of the blast. Thus far, he hadn't run across any bodies. It wasn't until he finally made it to the epicenter that he realized what had happened. There, a single, charred body lay by what Joshua assumed was the bomb. He maneuvered through the small fires and scanned with his sonic. The remains were definitely Nazurian. Whether it was Gloa or not, he wasn't sure, but it was likely. His scan also showed that the device had malfunctioned in some way, going off prematurely. There was no other explanation. Whether it was sabotage or idiocy, they may never know._

_He stalked back through the building searching for Rose. He stepped gingerly through the remains of the building, being leery of any areas that might collapse. He almost made it, too. He was determined to find Rose. He'd underestimated just how far into the inferno the Team had gone. He saw the bodies of the Team before he made it into the room. He saw Rose, laying, unmoving, and all pretense of safety was lost to Joshua. He bolted towards her. Had he been paying attention, he would have seen how unsteady the walls and ceiling were. But he was so focused on Rose that he missed the ceiling collapsing until it fell on him._

_He was dazed, but still determined. He dug through the debris quickly and started towards Rose one again. As soon as he touched her, he could feel her in his mind. She was alive, and Joshua almost started crying in relief. He sat on his knees, holding her hand in his. A noise across the room caught his attention. Several aliens, none of whom he knew, came marching in the room. They wore matching uniforms, but they were varying species. He was ever so thankful that they had shown when they did. He refused their offers of help with Rose, however. She sported a gash across her calf of which he was determined to fix with his sonic. He began running the sonic over the wound when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He went to shrug the hand off when the entity grabbed his shoulder, more insistent. Joshua whipped around, his hands coming up to shove whomever away. He stopped when he realized it was Jake._

“ _Whoa, Doc. Let's get her out of of the debris before you try to fix her up, yeah?” Joshua nodded numbly before he picked her up and followed the rest of the rescue Team from the wreckage._

Joshua roused when he heard Pete and Jackie down the hallway. Jackie, of course, wanted to see her daughter. Pete wanted to see Rose but also was checking on the rest of the Team. Joshua let Jackie fuss over him while Rose was still unconscious. Jackie fussed over all of the injured as well as those who were not. The entirety of Torchwood got to experience her mother-henning. Apparently, that was nothing new as her appearance was normal. You could always count on Jackie Tyler mothering the entire hospital ward.

As soon as Rose woke, Jackie threw her attention to her daughter. Joshua's hand never left Rose's. Instead, he traced intricate designs on the back of her hand with his thumb. Words of devotion in Gallifreyan. He let the blessed numbness consume him. Now that she was alright, he could let the exhaustion that was consuming his body to take over.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua woke in a bed he did not recognize, with his body wrapped around Rose's. He tensed, taking in his surroundings. Besides it not being a room he recognized, nothing jumped out at him as unusual. He relaxed back into the bed. So long as Rose was in the room with him, sleeping soundly, things were fine. He was a bit confused as to how he managed to get to this room. It wasn't their room in the mansion. He knew that much.

A soft tap at the door prompted him to get up. He noticed that he was still in his clothes from the night before. He opened the door a crack and was surprised to see Pete standing outside with an alien Joshua had never seen before.

“Mornin', Joshua. How are you feeling?”

“Surprisingly good. I take it you need Rose?” Pete nodded.

“Before you get her, I’d like to introduce you to Deston, the Commander of this group from the Shadow Proclamation.” The person standing next to Pete tilted his head, appraising Joshua. Joshua stared back. One of the things he’d still kept from the meta-crisis was his ability to stare down an opponent. After a moment, he felt a consciousness near his own, politely knocking. His eyes widened just a tad before smiling tightly. Though his shields were better than when he had arrived, they still weren’t as strong as they should be.

“While I appreciate your courtesy, I’m not comfortable conversing with telepathy with anyone other than my wife. Surely you understand.” Deston smiled and held out his hand.

“Not a problem, Doctor. It’s customary for a telepath from the Proclamation to make it known immediately if he is a telepath to any telepath on the planet they are visiting. Obviously there are exceptions, but this is a peaceful mission. Well, at least to the inhabitants of Earth. Now, though, if you would wake Ambassador Tyler. The information we have gathered is of importance to you both.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Forty minutes later, Joshua and Rose found themselves in a conference room. Around the table sat several of the uniformed aliens that had helped Joshua extract Rose and the rest of the Team. To the side, a table was set with nibbles. Each place setting had a plate already set with small morsels. After Joshua and Rose sat, Pete stood at the head of the table and the meeting began.

“As you all are aware, we were recently accosted by the Nazurians. Their leader, Gloa, was held in our containment area, awaiting transport for crimes against a protected planet. Gloa managed to escape two nights ago, and it appears that he may have had inside help. After reviewing the surveillance from that night, it appears that Jackson, one of our newest, helped him escape. He gave Gloa a small incendiary to blow his cage open. It was something we'd gotten from the Shadow Proclamation and left no traces.

We swept the city, keeping mostly to the parks, forests, and abandoned structures. It was just bad luck that Rose and Joshua's Team was the one who found him. Thankfully, there were no casualties. I'd like to thank the Shadow Proclamation for their timely arrival. Things could have ended up much worse than they were.” Pete sat down and Deston stood up.

“Gloa was not acting alone, and his sentiments against this planet are shared by most on his home planet. As such, we are preparing for an attack. It could be any time or it could be centuries from now. But, as a protected planet, we have a fleet resting in your solar system, standing guard. It's the least we can do. Your society has been deemed protected, as you well know, and we keep our promises.” Deston sat back down. The meeting proceeded from there. Talks about trade and armament, which Rose and Pete both actively participated in.

Joshua gaped at the proceedings, a little befuddled. In all his workings with the Shadow Proclamation, he'd never seen them this protective of one planet. The were one law unto themselves and saw Justice was met, no matter the consequences. Side casualties be damned in most cases. He'd seen a shining example of that when he'd met Martha Jones. But these, they seemed to actually take into consideration the planets they visited. It was new to him. Foreign.

Rose's hand on his brought him back to himself. The meeting had broken down to a much more casual affair. Pete and Deston spoke off to the side while everyone else milled around and talked. There was an opening for their escape and he longed to take it. He glanced at Rose, imploring with his eyes. She seemed to have the same idea. They walked hand in hand to Pete and Deston and excused themselves.

“Joshua, Rose. Don't forget dinner on Sunday. Jackie would be disappointed if you were to miss it.” Joshua kept his internal grousing to a minimum at the reminder. He loved Jackie to pieces. Really. But he didn't like her constant reminders in regards to children. It was looking to be a trying weekend and it was only Monday.

 


	19. I Don't Want to Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long delay. Real life has been hectic.

** I Don't Want to Go **

It started like a normal Friday for Joshua Noble. He woke earlier than Rose, which was unusual. They'd had a hell of a week, though, and she'd been out late on a field mission the night before. Joshua slowly got out of bed, trying not to disturb her and began his day.

When Rose finally woke, it was to the smell of toast and tea wafting through their flat. Their breakfast is simple affair of tea, toast and eggs. Since coming here, they had gotten into a bit of a routine. It was terribly domestic, but something he had always longed to have. A Home. A Family. A place to Belong.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Rose was in her office, compiling her report from yesterday before debriefing the staff of her finds. A hive of Silurians had woken from their hibernation and ventured to the surface. Things had come to a head the day before and Rose had spent the better part of the day trying to make peace with them. Joshua had helped her with some of the things she could use in her compromises. He also showed her some of their customs. With his guidance, she managed to impress them.

Joshua was in R & D. While he was documenting the Vault, he came across some components he could use to build translators. Pete had given him the okay, so he'd devoted every moment he could tinkering. He was in his element here, really. True, he had the equivalent of a Doctorate in several different fields, but Engineering had always been his strongest, especially in this body. He was always inventing things to help him investigate. This was no different.

He was about to wrap things up, when his spine went rigid and eyes wide. Something was happening. Something to the other Doctor. Just as quickly as he tensed, went slack and passed out. Jake barely caught him before he hit the ground.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

The next several hours were chaos. Joshua remained unconscious. An IV was started, but nothing else. Without knowing what was going on, Doctor Martin didn't want to be invasive. So they made Joshua comfortable and waited. Rose sat beside his bed, hand clasped in his. Her eyes were closed and if Pete didn't know better, he would think she were just as out as he was. He watched her eyes flit back and forth behind her eyelids. Joshua was deathly pale, but Rose almost glowed. This wasn't the first time she'd displayed her powers, though. He'd tried to keep it under wraps as well as he could and so far, only immediate family and a few select people knew she was anything other than an extraordinary human.

Jackie and Tony arrived after an hour. As a family, they stood vigil over Joshua. Rose kept her vigil holding Joshua's hand long after her family showed. Jackie had brought a thermos of tea and several Styrofoam cups from the cafeteria. She made sure everyone had a cup, including Rose. Jackie entertained the thought of wafting the tea under Joshua's nose but Rose shot down the idea.

“Whatever the Time Lord has been running from, Mum, has caught up with him. He's so frightened and a bit mad. It's no wonder he pulled Joshua into his mind. I think this will actually kill him. He should Regenerate, but there's some things even he can't live after. I'm just afraid that the mental trauma that Joshua will suffer will be permanent. He's not the one physically going through this, but at the same time, he is currently twined tightly with his twin. Just do me a favor and keep the tea handy for when he finally wakes.”

Two hours after Joshua collapsed, his breathing became erratic. Faint cuts appeared on his face and hands. But there didn't seem to be anything anyone in that room could do but sit and wait.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Another hour and thirty-seven minutes pass before any other activity was noticed by the onlookers.

“I don't want to go” It was low, a whimper. Tears streamed down his face.

He arched his back, as if in pain, splaying his arms and legs out. Rose stepped back, giving him some room. She knew what was happening. Not just from her connection to him, but also because she had seen him do this before. Then he collapsed, and his breathing went back to normal. Rose returned to his side, holding his hand. Nothing had changed. His face was still the same. A small, golden stream of energy escaped his parted lips and Jackie gasped.

“He's done it again, hasn't he?” Rose only nodded. Five minutes later, Joshua turned to his side and coughed. He gripped Rose around the waist, forcing her to sit with him and curled his body around hers. He didn't say anything. There's no need to. But they stayed there, wrapped around one another, and wept. They wept for the man they had known and loved, who was now changed.


	20. Fallout

**Fallout**

Joshua drank the tea Jackie offered him greedily. Granted, he hadn't Regenerated, but he had just suffered from a severe psychic episode. The second in so many weeks and both because of the Time Lord who was a Universe away. He was beginning to think that he wouldn't be able to live his life at all without his counterpart's shadow always following. To say he was upset didn't cover it.

His burst of anger startled Rose, who shot up quickly from the narrow bed. They stared at one another before her face crumpled in confusion. Joshua watched her eyes glaze over. After a moment, her vision cleared and the look she gave him was scathing. It was anger directed at him, but at the same time, not. It was very close to the anger he felt. To feel her lashing out at him in the same way made him tamp down the fires of his anger. He waited patiently for her to speak.

“He could've damaged my Time Line. Stupid, inconsiderate Time Lord thinks he's the master of all Time and doesn't take into consideration how he messes with other people's lives.” Jackie stepped closer to her daughter, trying to soothe her.

“Rose, dear, what are you talking about?”

“You remember New Year's, 2005?” Jackie blushed a bit.

“We went to a party together. We walked part way home before you stopped. I went ahead and went up to the flat. You came up a few minutes later, grinning like a fool. You never would tell me what happened, just that you'd been wished a great year or something.”

“The Doctor, dying from radiation poisoning, stopped by. I think it was so say goodbye but I didn't know who he was. It was just before Henrik's. But he could've changed everything. What if I'd insisted on following him? We wouldn't be here. None of us, I bet. He just...how could he be so inconsiderate?” Jackie and Joshua exchanged glances. Rose was distraught, and for good reason, really. But being around Joshua right now probably wasn't the best idea. Jackie grabbed Rose's elbow gently and started maneuvering her out the door.

“Let's go for a walk, dear. Clear your mind.” Joshua watched as Rose was taken from the room. The tension was palpable but he jumped from the table and plastered his fakest grin on.

“Well, Pete, Jake...what do you say about a bit of lunch? After that ordeal, I'm a bit starved.” Pete nodded while Jake looked between the two of them.

“What? You're just going to leave without them?” Pete and Joshua looked at one another, then back and Jake. Simultaneously, they answered.

“Yes!” Jake shook his head and followed them out the door.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Jackie and Rose wandered the halls aimlessly. They were on the upper level now, which was open to the public. Nothing dangerous was housed here. They walked hand-in-hand, while Rose tried to calm herself. Finally, Jackie broke the silence.

“I know you aren't angry at Joshua. So why are you taking this out on him?”

“I'm not trying to. But I just had a new memory shoved into my head because of something the Doctor did. Worse, my entire life I have now could have changed. That's what makes me angry.”

“But nothing did happen, Rose. We're all here, safe and sound. Nothing has changed. Can't you just drop it? Focus on the fact that he wanted to see you one last time?”

Rose stopped and looked at her Mum. The years in this world had changed Jackie Tyler. Where before she was frightened and intimidated by aliens and things people would call “unnatural”, she'd blossomed into it here. She took the aliens in stride and often could be seen at Torchwood, nursing those who were injured, no matter their species. Rose really looked up to Jackie and felt a sense of pride that she helped bring this change about. Rose, Pete, Mickey and even the Doctor had changed Jackie Tyler.

“I...I just was so scared, Mum. I finally have what I want, and it could have been ripped from me. And not just my happiness. Yours and Pete's also. I'm shaken.”

Jackie enveloped her daughter in a tight hug. They stood there for a moment before Jackie began rubbing circles on Rose's back, soothing her.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Pete, Jake, and Joshua made their way to the center of the city. Pete knew of a restaurant that he thought Joshua might like. It was centered around Mediterranean Cuisine. They talked on the way, but eventually, Joshua's hurt at Rose's reaction made him quiet. Even after they arrived at the restaurant, Joshua's mood was sober. Pete sighed to himself before addressing his melancholy.

“Give her a while. She’s upset with him, and the fact that you have his face probably doesn’t help.”

“First time in a while that I actually wish I had changed my face with regeneration. Ole Big ears wouldn’t have had this problem with her.”

“Tell me about what you were like when you were him.” Joshua chuckled, but there was no humor in it.

“I was and always will suffer from what you call PTSD. Also probably Bi-polar. Definitely Multiple Personality Disorder. I’m clinically insane on several planets and absolutely brilliant. Those are the traits that span regenerations. But each one has it’s quirks. That one…was lonely. He’d just lost his planet, his people. He went to Earth, intent on killing himself. Didn’t plan on surviving at all. But then, Rose has to throw a kink into all his plans. All of a sudden, he found himself enjoying life again for the first time in years. She brought that spark back into his life. A little ray of sunshine in his otherwise dismal world. And it didn’t take long for him to fall for her. When she was threatened...oh, the seriousness and the glare would stop armies. I’m more fun, quirky, and enigmatic. His emotions were actually the easiest to read of all of my regenerations. The War had rubbed him raw and it was harder to hide behind the mask.”

“He was wonderful.” He jumped at her voice and stared at her. He was unsure of what she was feeling. She’d placed her walls so tight around her mind that it was blank. “I never had to worry about how he felt about me. It was plain as the nose on his face. Then you…the other you, and suddenly I wasn’t so sure. I know you love me, my Doctor. My Joshua. But it’s still difficult when he does something stupid like that. Just, give me some time. This really upset me. I’m sorry.”

Joshua smiled at Rose softly and held out his hand. She hesitated for just a second before taking it. Joshua pulled her to stand in between his knees. He wrapped both arms around her and pulled her close, burying his face in her stomach. She wrapped her arms around him. Joshua and Rose held one another for several minutes, with Jake, Jackie and Pete looking on. Finally, Jackie cleared her throat, prompting Joshua and Rose to release one another and sit down. Pete had ordered for all of them, leaving the two of them to reconcile. Through the entire dinner, they kept their hands clasped. Granted, that meant Joshua had to eat with his left hand but what use was being ambidextrous if you didn't use it every once in a while?

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua felt Rose's mind brush his during their dinner. He looked up at her, startled, but let her in easily. He'd missed her resting in the back of his mind. He'd felt so empty and alone. That hurt him more than her being angry him.

_'I'm sorry, for how harshly I reacted.'_

_'It's fine. I get it, honestly.'_

_'But it's not alright. I lashed out at you and you weren't the one to blame at all. You've done nothing but be there for me and I...I need to remember that.'_

_'Rose, I understand if you get mad at me for things he'd done because up until Donna touched that hand, we were the same man. Same memories. I had all of his memories up until this hand was lopped off. And when I came to exist, he transferred all his memories to me. A Time Lord is the sum of his memories. For all intents and purposes, I am the same man. It's just what I decide to do with him life here and now that defines me as different. And I will never fault you for being upset. Not in regards to him. And if you are upset with me, for any reason, I want to work through it. Because you are my life, Rose Tyler. And you have my forever.'_

 


	21. Confessions

** Confessions **

They spent the night at the mansion, in the same bed. That last fact surprised Joshua more than anything. She'd been furious with him earlier in the day. Well, not him. But _him_. The alien who shared his face. But when she came to him, he welcomed her back immediately. He whispered words of apology and affirmation, even though he wasn't technically in the wrong. But one of them had to apologize and it certainly would be his _other_ self. Blimey, this was confusing. It was easy enough to distinguish between different Regenerations because the face changes but this...he is literally the same man. It would have helped things, he thinks, if he had worn a different face. Even his past face would have been better. He tells Rose this, whispering in the dark. He expects her to contradict him. To tell him that no, she liked this face just fine, but she doesn't. Instead, she goes silent. It seems like an eternity before she speaks again.

“It would've been easier, in some ways had you had a different face. Even that one, honestly. He didn't leave me behind. He sent me away once or twice. But his thoughts seemed to always be of me first, the Universe second. When you regenerated, I was heart-broken. I'd been in love with you for ages, even though you didn't seem to feel the same. And then, you continually left me behind. Made me feel like second best. I trudged on, because I promised you forever. But-” She chokes back a sob and he finally realizes that she's been crying, silently. He cradles her gently to his chest, rubbing her back gently to calm her.

“You're right, you know. After I regenerated, I tried to put a wedge between us. I'd realized just how much I loved you, needed you, and I was terrified. So I purposefully, and sometimes not so purposefully, put distance between us. I tried to distance myself from you for the inevitable event that you would leave me. I was so stupid. It hurt just as much, worse really, when you were ripped from me.”

“We both made mistakes.”

“I never meant to make you feel like second best. I told you once that I only take the best and that still holds true. Held true even then. You bring out the best of me, Rose.”

“You bring out the best of me, too.”

They lay in silence as their bodies finally started to relax from the day. As they became more comfortable, the walls they had erected between their minds fell. The hurt that Joshua had felt at Rose's anger hit her like a train. Rose's fear hit him, and they both gasped. After a few moments, the unleashed emotions tapered until all they could feel was the love each had for the other.

_'No use beating ourselves up over it now, love.'_

A contented hum passed between the two as their bodies relaxed and they fell asleep.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Downstairs, Jackie was pacing while Pete sat in an armchair, trying to placate his worrying wife.

“What if they don't work this out, Pete? I can't bare the thought of Rose going back to the woman she was when we first got here.”

Pete sighed heavily as he pulled Jackie down to sit in his lap. He ran the fingers of one hand through her hair as the other held her tightly to him. She struggled for a moment, but finally settled into his lap.

“Now, before you start worrying unnecessarily, remember who you are talking about. This is the Doctor and Rose Tyler. Nothing will get between them. You know that. This is no different than when you first came here. We had some amazing rows in the beginning, remember?”

“Yeah. We were both too caught up in the versions we'd lost.”

“Took us a while before we finally settled. Then what did we do?”

“You took me on an amazing date. And then another. And finally, we just...were.”

“Exactly. We still fought, but it was as a couple instead of two separate, damaged people. What they are going through isn't much different than our own story. And we got through it. They'll be just fine.”

“But-”

“No. Neither are running down, upset or anything. You have to let them live their lives. We both saw them go into the same room together. We've not heard any doors open or shut since then went up there. Trust them to be able to work out their own problems.”

Jackie breathed deeply before settling more securely into her husband's arms.

“Alright. But if things aren't better in the morning, we'll all be having a little talk.”

“I'd expect nothing less.”


	22. The Cyber Rebellion

**The Cyber Rebellion**

Rose ran over the reports sitting on her desk again. They all were missing persons reports and didn't seem to really have anything in common. It was busy work, honestly. Torchwood had been quiet lately. There had been no invasions and no need for her skills as an Ambassador. Because of this, she was stuck catching up on some of their more routine cases.

At least, they were handed to her as routine cases. As she stared at the text, patterns began to emerge. Each and every one of the cases was a human, which was unheard of. Since the Cyber Invasion, this Earth had accepted aliens in their many forms to live among them. Something was out there, purposefully picking off humans. Folders in hand, she rushed towards Pete's office.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Rose burst into Pete's office, interrupting his teleconference. She'd be embarrassed except the news she had for him was important.

“They are all human,” she panted. She raised an eyebrow before apologizing and ending the meeting. Pete knew that Rose wouldn't have interrupted him if it were important.

“Who are all humans?”

“The reports that you put on my desk. Random places. Random times. Nothing to really tie them together. The only thing they had in common was the fact that every single victim was human. No traces are being left by whatever is taking them, either. These people just vanish into thin air.”

“Well done. You've discovered more about those files than anyone in a couple of weeks. And that narrows down the culprits a bit. Grab Joshua and Jake. Pour over the reports and see if, between the three of you, you can come up with something we can work with.” Rose nodded at her not-father before marching out of the room, determined.

Joshua, Rose, and Jake spent the rest of the day, pouring over reports, hoping to find more clues. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else that could be found. They left Torchwood discouraged.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

They lay in bed together, both on their backs. They had their hands clasped and both were content to lay there, savoring the other's mental presence. It was intimate, but not sexual. Because of their telepathy, actual intercourse had been replaced with a more fulfilling act. They still had sex, of course, but it wasn't as urgent as when they first came together.

Joshua was thrilled by this, in many ways. Not that intercourse wasn't great, because it was. But Time Lords had drifted from the physical long before he was loomed. It was still ingrained into his psyche that sex was taboo. Sure, he was known to bend or outright ignore rules. Except that one. In his 900 or more years (he'd stopped counting during the War), he'd only broken that taboo a handful of times. Rose Marion Tyler would always be his exception. Even in his previous body, he had wanted her. He'd had to stop himself numerous times from initiating any telepathic touches and for the first time in a couple of centuries, he'd felt himself drawn to someone physically. It had unnerved him greatly at first. That's why he had tried to push her away when they had first met. But after Platform One, he'd realized that she accepted him. To have her companionship and her trust had lowered his defenses around her and before he knew it, he had fallen for her hard. He found himself doing things for her that he normally wouldn't do. And they had both learned lessons the hard way because of it.

But the woman laying beside him now, while the same, was also very different from the one he had fallen for. Different wasn't a bad thing. As a matter of fact, he enjoyed the fact that she was telepathic immensely. She'd grown up and matured along the way. She'd gotten her A-levels as well as several Degrees in Astrophysics and was an accomplished linguist. All without losing her compassion. There was a hardness to her that hadn't been there before, but she'd seen so much in her 24 years of life. Much more than most her age. She was more his equal now and he loved it. He loved her and it felt liberating to be able to show it now.

Her mind nudged against his, stirring him from his thoughts. They had been laying there, enjoying the buzz of one another's mind, not intruding. But he sensed a question directed to him so he opened himself to let her in.

_'I want to grab some of the other light case files tomorrow, to see if there are more connections we may be missing. I want to focus on the “unusual sightings” cases and see if we can't find links between the two.'_

_'I hadn't thought of that. That's brilliant. I say we focus mostly on the reports from the varying aliens in the area. They obviously aren't the targets.'_

_'Hmm....I love it when we think alike.'_

Joshua turned onto his side and wrapped Rose tightly in his arms.

_'I love you.'_ He kissed her passionately, letting all his love for her flow through their bond. She responded immediately. Soon, all that could be heard were the breathless moans and whimpers as they strove for completion, both physically and mentally.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Rose, Joshua and Jake sat huddled closely in Rose's office. It had become their ritual to gather here, pouring over files. Nothing had happened all week and they seemed to be no closer than when the files were piled onto her desk on Monday. The answer, though, came to Joshua like a slap in the face.

“Oh! I'm thick!” Rose blinked her eyes rapidly at him. She was close to dosing before his exclamation.

“What?”

“It's been staring us in the face this entire time. How could I have missed it?” Rose placed her hand in Joshua's.

“What did we miss?”

“The sightings. Several of the non-humans had heard rhythmic stomping but could never place a source. Were it a human stating this, it could be passed off as flashbacks. But the fact that the aliens who reside here now, well after the Invasion, are hearing them. Rose...this could be very, very big.”

“What...what are you saying?”

“We need to go talk to Pete.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Pete's eyes were wide as they told him their theory. Cybermen, loose again. It was his worst nightmare. He immediately called Jackie and made sure she and Tony were safe. Before she hung up, she promised she would pack a few things and head towards Torchwood. It was the safest place in London.

Torchwood prepared itself. Once again, in the span of a couple of weeks, they would be sending teams out to scour London for an alien threat. This one was much more dangerous than Gloa had ever been. His focus was on Torchwood. But if Joshua was correct and there were Cybermen loose, they would not discriminate as to whom they upgraded.

Calvin, Joshua, and the rest of R&D busied themselves in creating specialized weapons for the Cybermen. While Joshua generally shied away from brute force but he was smart enough to know that there was no reasoning with Cybermen. Torchwood still had a way of humanizing them, if the Cybermen hadn't already adapted to it. Just in case, though, Joshua helped put together a weapon that would be the most effective. In short, it was a gold bomb. Similar to a grenade, when it exploded it shot out particles of shaved gold. As he'd explained to Pete, gold was lethal to Cybermen. He'd even adapted the grenades to launch from a traditional grenade launcher, much to the delight of the armed agents who would be going head-to-head with them.

Joshua frowned when he saw Rose suit up for a mission. She kissed him chastely before brushing his mind with her own.

_'I'm Defender of the Earth. More so now than when we were separated. Torchwood depends on me to be the front-man. I'll come back in one piece, love.'_

_'Doesn't mean I won't worry.'_

_'Joshua, I've faced worse than this. Trust me. When I was looking for you, the right you, I almost died several times. When this is over, I'll show you. You need to know, to understand.'_

_'I love you, Rose Tyler.'_

_'And I love you.'_

Rose and the rest of the teams left without much preamble. It had been exactly 24 hours since he'd broken the news to Pete. It had taken that long for Joshua and Calvin to prepare what they could. Now it was up to Rose and the rest of Torchwood to quell the threat.

Jackie sidled up to him and grabbed his hand. He started, instantly realizing that the hand didn't fit right in his own but immediately relaxed. Of all the people in the world, he knew that Jackie would understand his apprehensions. He smiled wanly at her, which she returned. She'd had much longer to get used to her daughter's dangerous life, with and without him.

“She'll be alright.”

“I still worry, Jackie.”

“Of course you do! We all worry about the ones we love. But I promise you, Rose will be fine after this is all said and done with. You'll see.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Three days later, he was cursing Jackie Tyler and her words. He was sitting in a hospital room with a comatose Rose. They had bandaged her almost from head to toe. She'd suffered severe burns at the hands of the Cybermen. They'd tried to delete her. Miraculously, they couldn't. At least not at first. One Cyberman wasn't enough to down Rose, let alone kill her. It didn't take them long to gang up and before the Team knew what had happened, Rose was lying in a heap on the floor with six Cybermen surrounding her. She was blackened from where the electricity had course through her body and tried to find a way out. Her feet were splotched and burned, as was her torso. They each had gotten a hold of her somewhere on her upper body. It looked horrible.

When he'd first seen her, Joshua had broken down. Then he became angry. He screamed at Pete until his throat was raw. Jackie burst through the doors not long after and screamed at both of them. The only one who wasn't phased by the toll on her body was Jake. Through the whole ordeal, he remained strangely quiet. It wasn't until Joshua quieted that Jake made his presence known. He thrust a tumbler of some sort of alcohol into Joshua's hands. Joshua grimaced at the concoction before downing it in one large gulp. It burned going down. Jake hoisted him to his feet and maneuvered him to the ground floor and outside into the semi-fresh air.

“Rose hasn't talked to you about her travels, has she?” Joshua glared at Jake. This was a subject that Rose should breach with him. Not someone else. No one had that right. He was about to say as much before Jake grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him dead in the eyes. “Rose cannot die, Doctor. One of her first trips she was shot through the heart. As soon as her vitals dropped, we pulled her back to safety. There was so much blood everywhere. The medics on site did as much as they could but no one expected her to make it. Three days later, she woke. The wound in her chest, while still gruesome, was no longer life threatening. She was discharged after a week. She's had much more serious wounds than this, and has made it just fine. The best thing you can do, from here on out, is not panic. Because when she wakes, she's going to be a wreck. Take care of yourself until she wakes, then take care of her. She'll need your support more than anything once she does.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua took Jake's words to heart. He went to one of the suites in Torchwood and showered. He dressed into a set of clothes he kept in his locker for emergencies. Rose had given him the idea and right now, he was grateful for it. He refused to go home. He went and bought new clothes and moved into the suite until Rose woke. During the day, he was in R&D, keeping his mind as busy as possible. He became a machine, really. He produced over a hundred of the translation devices that would work on humans. Then he concentrated on developing some that would work for the other species working at Torchwood. No ear pods, though.

At night, he stayed by Rose's side as long as he could stand it. He didn't really want to leave her, but he couldn't stay at her side with her looking so much like Death. It unnerved him. He felt guilty when he left her side but it was either that or drive himself more mental.

It took almost two weeks for her to wake. When she woke, it felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Her psychic scream could be heard by every telepath in Torchwood. He immediately started running down the corridors, towards her room. Several other telepaths followed him. During her stay here she'd become their guide. The kept a respectable distance as soon as they could feel the mental imprint of her mate.

When he got to her room, she seemed to still be asleep. Her brows were scrunched together like she was in pain. Other than that, she still looked like Death.

Joshua reached out an unsteady hand to caress her temple. While it wasn't necessary to initiate their bond in this way, it did make mental contact easier. He didn't get a chance to breathe before he was sucked into her nightmares.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

_Joshua found himself surrounded by different scenes, each worse than the last. In several, Rose was being tortured. Others, himself. He saw each of his incarnations in her mind and wondered if they ran into one another in one of those Universes, or if she picked the images from his own mind._

_Other places he looked, he saw her sacrificing herself to save others. The area that seemed to be the darkest, however, are all the times he pushed her away. It was another lifetime ago, for him, but he remembered doing these things to her. Images flowed around him. Time and Time again he has left her, abandoned her. Time and again she has fought her way back to him. Her mind also conjured images where he would leave her. Not from dying, he noticed. But from him making the conscious choice to leave her side._

_It was almost too much for him. He gathered all the love he has for her and thrust it into her mind. He hoped to erase the fear he has put into her of him abandoning her. He's here now. He'll never let her go as long as she wants him to stay. He caressed her mind with his own until she quieted._

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

When Joshua finally came back to himself, the first thing he saw was that her eyes were open. The second thing he became aware of is the fact that he has been in her mind for hours. Jackie had fallen asleep in a chair by the bed opposite him. Joshua blinked and straightened. That was when he noticed Pete standing in the doorway.

“I'll let the doctors know she is awake now.” Pete turned and walked from the room. Joshua's heart felt so conflicted. If the Bad Wolf had changed her this much, how would that change their relationship? She had to have known most of this before she found him. Why had she not said? Why had she saddled herself with this him? The one who would wither and die. He couldn't wrap his mind around it.

A tentative touch of her hand to his brought him back from his internal struggle.

_'It needed saying.'_ Joshua blinked twice before Rose's eyes fluttered closed. Joshua felt her mind soften into an untroubled slumber. He relaxed slightly, knowing she was mentally much better than when he had rushed to the room before. He pulled the other chair close to her bedside and tried to get comfortable. He kept her hand in his own as he nodded off.

 


	23. A Change of Scenery

**A Change of Scenery**

The news reported that the incident was isolated to just England, since that is where they have originated from. After some investigation, they found a hideaway from the monsters underneath London. They were few, and badly damaged. It had taken several years for the Cybermen to repair themselves enough to start converting again. Torchwood was under scrutiny as well as England as a whole. World leaders were wondering if Torchwood should stay centered in London or if one of the other major powers should take it over.

As Jake had predicted, it took a week for Rose to be given a clean bill of health. Joshua was amazed at her recovery. They had discussed her abilities to heal before but this really proved how the Vortex had affected her. Joshua was still scared for her, despite what Doctor Martin and the other doctors at Torchwood told him. He knew what it was like to live for seemingly forever and lose almost everyone you hold dear. He didn't want that to happen to Rose.

Rose was shaken by the near death experience. Before, it didn't bother her. She didn't know if she would ever reach the Doctor again or if he would even want her. But she had Joshua now, and had so much to live for. She did the only thing she could think of to do. She took Joshua's hand and they ran.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

At first, they went to haunts that were familiar to the both of them. Cardiff. Scotland. Even Japan. As they traveled, Rose finally began telling Joshua of crossing the Void. He listened patiently as she told her story. He held her close when she wept. She held him as he told her his own story. He didn't start with his life before her. What he did do was walk her through his memories after she was ripped from him. He held nothing back. He showed her his travels with Martha and how badly he'd treated her. He showed her his memories of being human and how he always thought of her, even when he couldn't remember who she was. He even showed her _The Year That Never Was_. For him, that was the most difficult part.

After, she shared her own story of the Master. He'd appeared several times in her travels. Sometimes he was benevolent with his drums helping to center him. More often than not, though, he was the psychopath that the Doctor knew well. More than once she had been captured and tortured by him. She even had to endure her own version of _The Year_.

The ones that hurt him the most, however, were when she ran into an evil version of himself. It didn't matter what name he chose, it was still the two faces that she knew that greeted her. They were also the most brutal. They saw her trust and used it against her. Very rarely was she able to tame the corrupted Time Lord.

He shared with her his biggest fear. That he would become the Valeyard. Not the Doctor, but _this_ him. Rose had seen him as well. Universes where everything had happened just as they both remember, but Rose hadn't been enough to cull his aggressiveness. Still others where she had died shortly after they had been tossed out at Bad Wolf Bay. Those were the worst. He thought her a mirage. A trick of his tortured mind. He made it his life to make hers a living hell. She almost didn't survive with her mind intact.

They traded stories until there was nothing left to share. She knew as much about him as he did her. Once they were done, they began traveling again.

Paris rose her hackles more than any place they had been. Even though she knew he and Reinette hadn't done anything, that memory would always be raw for her. They snuck in with the help of his sonic and he made love to her at the top of the Eiffel Tower. He made it a point to take her to every noteworthy place in Paris. He did it to erase the memory of Reinette as well as to genuinely show her the beautiful sights.

They spent a month going from place to place, replacing bad memories and making fresh ones in unfamiliar places. They never stayed in one area for too long. Rose was using her bank account but both of them had disabled their phones. They needed this escape from the world they knew. Finally, in the back of beyond in Germany, they stopped.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Germany was beautiful. They stayed that entire week in the same village. Many of the outlying communities and villages still worshiped a the Pagan Deities. Christianity and Islam had still blossomed in this Universe, but they weren't as widespread. Rose was glad. She missed going to other planets and participating in their Seasonal Celebrations. Rose danced around the bonfires and dressed in the traditional garb. Joshua even changed his clothes to participate. They immersed themselves in the culture and had the most fun that either had had since coming back to Pete's World.

From Germany, they traveled to St Petersberg, Russia. Joshua had always wanted to show Rose the White Nights Festival. From the concerts, to the fireworks and eventually the battles at sea, they loved all of it. They had a spectacular time together, without the worries of Torchwood to deal with. But after two months of traveling, Rose, and even Joshua, began to miss their family. So, after the Festival, they started heading back towards England.

They were on a train, heading cross country towards the coast, when Joshua finally breached the subject. They were sitting in the lounge car, hands entwined, Rose's head on Joshua's shoulder.

“Rose. What do you think of me quitting Torchwood?” She shrugged before squeezing his hand and answering.

“I think you should do what you want to with your life, Joshua. You only have the one now and if teaching is what you want to do, I'll support you.”

“You won't be upset?”

“Not at all. I'm thinking of quitting myself. I don't need the money. I think I want to enjoy spending my life with you. I think both of us slowing down is a good idea. Now, we just have to break it to Dad.”

“I think he'll take it well. We discussed it briefly when I took the job at Torchwood. I think in the long run, he would rather have you safe and happy than to be one of his agents. We'll talk to them once we get back.”

Rose nodded and settled her head back on Joshua's shoulder. She wasn't as confident that their leaving would be taken well but she hoped he was right.

  
  


 


	24. Returning Home

**Returning Home**

They stood nervously at the front door of the Tyler mansion. They had been gone for two months, and hadn't had any contact with the family. Standing here, they both felt guilty about that. If nothing, they should have called and talked to Tony. They would be surprised if Jackie didn't slap the both of them. They each took a deep breath and knocked on the front door.

They could hear movement on the other side of the door, as well as Jackie shrieking. Her words were indistinguishable but they imagined it was something along the lines of “Just a minute!” Finally, the door opened. Jackie stood, mouth agape, as her daughter and son-in-law finally were at her doorstep again. Fire flashed in her eyes and she opened her mouth, probably to yell, but closed her mouth shut. Without a word, she enveloped them both into a hug.

“I don't know where you two ran off to, but I'm glad you're back.” Both Rose and Joshua squeezed Jackie a little tighter.

“You know us, Mum. We always will come back. But with everything that has happened, we just needed to run.” Jackie stepped back to take a good look at her daughter and son-in-law. She smiled softly at the two of them, but couldn't completely hide her sadness.

“I know that, Rose. It's what you do best. And I really shouldn't be surprised. I've figured the two of you would have run off long before now. I'm glad you came back, though. Enough of all this. Come inside. I'm sure your dad wants to see you and I know Tony would.” She ushered them into the mansion and shut the door behind them.

They found Tony playing in the Living Room. Each fought off a pang of guilt for leaving the little tyke behind. It seemed he had grown so much in the couple of months they had been away. As soon as he saw Rose and Joshua, he shrieked and ran towards them. He almost knocked over Joshua with his momentum. Joshua lifted him in the air and held him close, while Rose hugged them both. The siblings stood there, arms around one another, until Tony started wriggling to try and break free. After they sat him safely back on the ground, they looked up and saw Pete. He had a relieved look on his face. He nodded his head towards his study and the two followed. Neither were sure whether they were getting reprimanded for running off, but really, they didn't care. They had made their decisions.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Pete sat behind his desk and regarded his two runaways. Even after hearing the stories, he never imagined the two would just run off like that. He hadn't worried, much, so long as Rose was using her bank account. The two leaving had left him in a bit of a bind at Torchwood. They had left a huge gaping hole that he had struggled to fill. He was relieved they had finally returned, but also frustrated that they had taken off without so much as a word to him or Jackie. He took a deep breath before he started talking.

“I'm glad the two of you are back. Whether Jackie will admit it or not, she was beside herself with worry. Once she knew your account was being used, she calmed quite a bit and even went about life as normal. Tony didn't understand why you would leave him, no matter how much Jackie tried talking him down. He was upset a good two weeks solid. He barely ate or slept.

As for me, you put me in a bind at Torchwood. No one could understand why you would up and leave. And I couldn't really tell anyone anything, because I didn't know either. All your projects you were working on, no one else could pick up.

I get the need to run. Both of you have spent years traveling and not really being tied to anyone. All I ask is next time, at least give me a ring to let me know you're alright. A short explanation would be nice, but something so I'm not sitting here, wondering if you're dead or not!” Pete hadn't started out loud, but by the time he had finished, he was upset. Rose and Joshua exchanged a glance, but it was Joshua who spoke.

“We ran, Pete, because this defending the Earth has become too taxing. Instead of enjoying one another after finding each other again, we were forced back into the slavery of defending the Earth. With Rose's close call, we had to get away. You're right, we probably should have called. Jackie and Tony and yourself, as family, deserved that. But we aren't going to apologize for running away from Torchwood. I told you, when I first took the job there, that it might be temporary for me. I think the time has come for me to leave. I have one life now, Pete. I want to live it the way I want to. I'm quitting Torchwood. I think I know what I want to do and I have Rose's support in this.”

Pete wasn't shocked. He knew when Joshua said yes those months ago that he would one day leave Torchwood. His heart hadn't been in it then and it certainly wasn't now. He nodded at Joshua, then turned his attention to Rose.

“I'm not leaving Torchwood, at least not yet. I **am** going to retire from actual field work. I'll continue to be Ambassador and help in R &D but I don't need to put my life in danger any more. I don't know how long this regenerative energy will stay with me and I don't want to run the risk that one day I might not wake up.”

“Seems fair enough. Just, do me a favor. No more disappearing. You can disappear from the rest of the world, but not from us. Alright?” Pete received nods from both of them with promises they would be in contact soon.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

It took a month for Joshua to find work teaching. Pete helped as much as he could, calling in his contacts. Rose even helped. She introduced Joshua to her physics professor, and they hit it off beautifully. Joshua didn't get a job at the same University, but it was in London, so he and Rose didn't have to think about moving.

They attended Sunday dinners at the Tyler Mansion and Joshua never once complained. Before they all knew it, it was August and their wedding was less than a month away.

 


	25. Stags and Hens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Extremely short chapter. The next chapter will be their wedding and worth the wait, I promise!
> 
> I didn't have a party before my wedding so I have no idea how these things go.

**Stags and Hens**

  
  


_ **The Stag Party** _

Joshua cursed silly little wedding rituals. Some he found endearing, of course. “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” was always nice. They did something similar on Gallifrey. But this whole “groom can't see the bride in her wedding dress until she's walking down the aisle” was complete rubbish in his opinion. Big weddings irked him as well. On Gallifrey, weddings consisted of close family and friends. Weddings were also generally arranged so the ceremony was mostly formality. Bonding, like what he and Rose had done, was almost unheard of. When Rassilon did away with such urges through looming, the urge to Bond also waned. The only reason it had happened with him and Rose is because of instinct. Joshua was the last Gallifreyan. It was his duty to carry on the species, so to speak. He wasn't sure if he was fertile, though. Another one of the reasons Gallifrey had switched to looming. It was less messy than procreation, sure, but it was also the only way they _**could**_ produce.

All these thoughts bounced through Joshua's head as he was getting ready for his Stag Party. It was the night before their wedding, so of course that was all that was on his mind. His stomach was knotted from anticipation. They were already married in their own minds, but solidifying it in front of so many people had him nervous. This party had him nervous. Jake had orchestrated it, just as Melody had orchestrated Rose's Hen Party. It was supposed to be their last night before their wedding and was yet another tradition he hated. He would much rather spend the evening wrapped around Rose. Or with Rose wrapped around him.

Jake had brought him to one of the local pubs, away from where he knew Rose to be. Tonight, Joshua was to spend the night at Jake's after the party. Rose and Melody would be going back to the mansion so Melody and Jackie could help Rose get ready in the morning. Joshua couldn't wait to see Rose in her dress. The only hint she had given him was that he could wear his blue suit with it. She had kept the rest of it hidden very well behind a solid door in her mind and would give him no more clues.

Joshua dressed in casual clothes for the party. Black khaki slacks with a t-shirt (required by Jake) that read “I'm the Groom”. He hated it. He hated everything about the wedding except for seeing Rose in her wedding dress. He sneered at his reflection in the mirror before reluctantly exiting the bathroom to get this disaster of a night over with.

The pub they went to was called “Rusty's”. It was one of many where the alien residents were openly welcomed. The owner, Kyle Carter, was from Andalusia, a commerce planet. On the outside, he looked mostly human. The only outward sign that he wasn't was his slightly pointed ears and lavender eyes. His wife, Annetta, helped manage the pub alongside him. They served mostly Earth beverages, but also catered a few of the weaker foreign beverages as well. And by foreign, they meant from other planets.

Jake ordered the entire group a round of shots to get the night started. It was a purple colored whiskey that smelled sweet, but burned on the way down. After two shots, Joshua was feeling slightly inebriated. They sat at a table close to the stage. Each night, the pub had a different performance for local bands. Tonight was “The Western Winds”. Joshua had heard some of their music and actually enjoyed it, so this was a pleasant surprise. When he asked Jake about it, Jake winked.

“I knew I couldn't get you to agree to a stripper, so I made sure that a band you liked was playing.” Joshua smiled and thanked Jake for the sentiment. A stripper would have been a very bad idea. One of the worst ideas, really. A Gallifreyan Bond was a powerful thing. A true Bonding, like what he and Rose had, would keep each partner from straying. Even wayward thoughts would strain the Bond. It was one of many reasons why they had been done away with on Gallifrey.

Joshua expected Jake to have the guys to get him hammered, embarrass the Hell out of him, then take him home. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the group that was there with him consisted of his Team he worked with at Torchwood. There were also a couple of other Professors from the University he worked at. They sat, listened to the music, and played some pool. Basically, it felt like just another night at the pub, for which Joshua was very grateful.

Joshua was pleasantly buzzed by the time Jake brought him home. While Jake was distracted, Joshua got out his cell phone. He typed four little words to his Bond-mate.

_I love you. Goodnight._

  
  


  
  


_ **The Hen Party** _

Across town, at another pub which catered to the more alien residents, Melody had Rose trussed up and was parading her through the crowds. Melody had insisted on a conga line with Rose at the front. Rose would be embarrassed but she'd had _just enough_ to drink. It was the night before her wedding and she was celebrating. Tomorrow was more of a formality and she knew it. Melody also knew it. So she was more than content to let Rose celebrate and to join her.

Melody did orchestrate a few games. Mostly drinking games. After a couple of rounds of “I Have Never”, the entire group was giggling at the table. A few of the other patrons ventured over, to share in the excitement of the night. Rose knew, once they were close, that they were empaths that were drawn to the happy atmosphere. She invited them to sit at the table, which they happily did. Rose even got them to participate in a few rounds of their drinking game, much to the amusement of Melody.

Rose contemplated on several occasions to text Joshua and see how his night was going. She had no doubt that he was having as much fun as she was. One of the many great things about having a Bond, she mused. She could feel him in the back of her mind, happy and quite content. That alone made her loosen up and enjoy her little party. She danced with everyone in her party, as well as a few of the other patrons. She expected to be hit on a little more, but Melody had made her wear a shirt saying, “I'm the Bride”.

At some point during the evening, Rose started a game of darts. She was one of the best marksmen at Torchwood, but it was different aiming a gun and throwing darts. Still, she ended up winning three games before quitting and hitting the pool tables. This was an area where she excelled. One of her Degrees she had acquired during her stay here was in Physics. She did that in honor of the Doctor. It was one of his favorite subjects. Engineering would have to be his second. Rose didn't have a degree in Engineering but she knew how to hold her own with most people in R&D. She had helped build the Dimension Cannon after all. It had been her concept, her design, and mostly her work

Rose ended up winning two games against Melody. She lost the third game and decided to call it quits. Not because she lost, but because it was late and they all needed to get up early in the morning.

Rose drank two bottles of water on the way to her parents' mansion and a third before heading to bed. Jackie and Pete had gone to bed long before they got there, so Melody and Rose went upstairs the guest wing as quietly as possible. Once settled in, Rose checked her phone. She smiled as she read the message from her Bond-mate.

_I love you. Good night._


	26. The Wedding

**The Wedding**

_September 3, 2011 8:00 am – Tyler Mansion_

Jackie tapped softly on her daughter's door. She wasn't sure what time the girls finally dragged themselves in the night before, but she was sure they both had headaches. She didn't expect Rose to be sitting up in bed, talking to Melody. Rose smiled when she noticed her mother.

“Well, you excited dear?”

“Mum, you do know this is just a formality for us, right?” Jackie rolled her eyes at her daughter.

“Of course I know that. The two of you have been married for years, whether you'll admit it or not. Now you've gone and married in the eyes of his people. Today is about getting married in the eyes of your people. But I can't say that I'm not looking forward to it. You're my only daughter, so I want to spoil you.”

“You sure it's not just because this will be a good PR for Vitex and Torchwood both?”

“Well there is that. The _'Ice Princess'_ is finally getting married. Reporters are jumping on it. Then the hype will die down. Should keep 'em off our backs for a while. At least until you have your first good row.”

“Mum!” Jackie just looked at her daughter then rolled her eyes.

“You're both strong-willed, Rose. It will happen eventually. And with him being practically unknown, it will be that much more spectacular. You remember how they swarmed when I came back into the picture? Remember how much worse it was when we introduced you?”

Rose pursed her lips together, but nodded her head. It was hell for weeks for their household. It didn't help that Rose had fallen into a deep depression. The depression got worse after the day at the beach. It wasn't until she made a name for herself at Torchwood that the media backed off. That was when the media finally saw her as _'Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth'_ and not _'Rose Tyler, Long Lost Daughter to Pete and Jackie Tyler'_.

“I know what you mean, Mum, and that you're just trying to prepare me for the worst. But this step isn't any different than anything we've done before. And I've become a master with the press. If we get into this epic fight you seem to expect, we'll handle it just fine.” Jackie embraced her daughter, and whispered in her ear.

“I'm not wanting you to fight, love. Don't take it that way. It's a mother's job to worry. One day, maybe you'll understand that.”

  
  


_September 3, 2011 10:00 am – White Chapel Park_

Joshua looked around the little park in awe. This wasn't anything he remembered being in their original Universe. It had been created after the Cyber War. Several parks had been created in the aftermath of the cleanup. People started shunning technology. Not completely. But several prominent businesses had been destroyed and made into parks. Most were renamed. This park had become a prominent wedding spot. Over 100 weddings per year happened here. The owners didn't differentiate between species, either.

Since coming to this Universe, Joshua had witnessed a surprising toleration for other sentient species. It was amazing. It confused him, at first. But then he started working with Torchwood and especially Rose. Rose's personal skills had always been, well, fantastic. But she'd really come into her own since coming to this Universe. As much as he hated to admit it, their separation was key in Rose becoming the Ambassador for the Earth.

Pete had let him go with Rose on some of her diplomatic missions since he'd quit Torchwood. He'd spent an entire week with her on Benikate, a small planet a system over. As her bond-mate, he was privy to their negotiations. She'd single-handedly stopped a civil war with a few words and her personality. He'd seen that in her, of course, when she'd first traveled with him. She'd really blossomed since coming here.

“Hey, mate, you nervous?” Jake's voice startled him from his inner monologue. He was getting married today!

“Yes and no. This isn't the first I've been married. Not even the first time I've married Rose. But this will be the first time we've had a ceremony with her friends and family. It doesn't make it any more than our Bond, but this is a very public display. It's not something I ever thought I would do again. Not since my first wife.”

“How many times have you been married?”

“Only twice that mattered. I've had to marry my companions in one capacity or another at times. I've married Rose fifty-seven times to get us out of trouble. Some were silly ceremonies. Others more like you would expect. But I meant the vows with her each time, and I want to think she did as well. We were just both too cowardly at the time to push it. We both wasted a lot of time.”

“But you have the entirety of the rest of your lives to make up with that. Make sure you do.”

  
  


_September 3, 2011 1:40 pm – 20 minutes before the ceremony_

“Does my makeup look alright?” Melody rolled her eyes at her friend. It was the final countdown to her sealing her vows with Joshua. Rose's nerves had been fine until about five minutes ago. All of a sudden, the thought of her standing in front of all of these people, proclaiming her love was almost to much.

“Please tell me you aren't having second thoughts?”

“No...it's just, we...I never thought we would be here, ya know? Saying vows in front of all these people. It still seems so unreal to me. And it's not us, really. I'd imagined our wedding several times and it was never this enormous. I just, I feel like I'm in a dream.”

“Rose Marion Tyler, you are the bravest woman I know. Nothing about this ceremony changes how the two of you feel about one another. To be honest, this is for your mother, family, and friends. You've already solidified your union. Look at this like any of your diplomatic missions. It will please all involved. Plus, there's a really great party afterwards.”

“Thanks, Mels. You always know just the things to say. How do you do that?”

“Been around for a while, Rose Tyler. One of these days, I'll tell you all about it. But not today. Today is about you and that man out there who adores you. Get through the ceremony and the party afterwards and I promise things will be okay.”

  
  


_September 3, 2011 1:40 pm – 2 minutes before the ceremony_

Joshua stood at the altar. The guests were seated. Jake would be standing beside him soon enough. That didn't keep him from wringing his hands together nervously. He was anxious, nervous, and his palms were sweaty, which was new to him. In all his 900 years or memories, he couldn't recall a single time he was this nervous. He could hear the crowd murmuring, waiting on the cued music. The air was tense and hot, and he resisted the urge to rub the back of his neck.

He was dressed in his TARDIS blue suit that he had put on when he was first created. Rose had insisted on it. He'd used his sonic to make it cleaner than any dry clean. Inside his pockets were a few choice items. It was tradition on his planet to fasten a pendant around the neck of the bride. It symbolized their bonding and he wanted her to wear it. Originally, he had intended to give it to her after their bonding, but something stopped him. It now rested in his pocket for him to place around her neck during their ceremony. It was one of the few things about this wedding he had insisted on.

The other, was the binding. Not their bond, obviously, but the symbol of their bonding as a House. On Gallifrey, that meant each House had to declare their consent of the union. Jackie would be performing that role for Rose, but Joshua really didn't have anyone to proclaim his House's consent. Jake had volunteered, but it hadn't felt right to have him do it, even though he was his oldest friend in this Universe. Joshua had never felt so alone as he did right then. He wished, more than anything, he still had family left to solidify this union.

  
  


_September 3, 2011 1:40 pm – Time_

He kept to the shadows as much as he could. Even without Joshua being a full Time Lord, if he slipped, he could be caught. He'd meant for this to be a surprise. Joshua might not see it as a pleasant surprise, but he hoped.

The music keyed up and everyone held their breath. Each group proceeded down the aisle, making way for the bride. Tony was the ring bearer. He practically ran down the aisle towards Joshua. Joshua picked him up in a fierce hub before setting him down to stand between Joshua and Jake.

Next was Melody. She wore a TARDIS blue sleeveless dress that ended around her knees. Like the rest of the wedding procession, she was wearing white Converse. Walking her down the aisle was Jake. He was dressed in a blue suit very similar to Joshua's. It wasn't exact, obviously. It didn't have the bigger-on-the-inside pockets for one.

Once their small procession was situated, the Wedding March began. Pete proudly led his daughter down the aisle. Joshua's breath caught at the first look at her dress. The predominate color was white, as was custom. The bodice was TARDIS blue. A streak of blue also went down her back and flared to become her train. Her veil was white, as was custom, but it was held on her head by a blue tiara. She looked absolutely breath-taking.

_'Breathe'_ a voice whispered through his head. It didn't sound like Rose's inner voice. It almost twinged a memory but he couldn't place it. He followed the advice, though, and took a deep breath. When he exhaled, he smiled brightly at his bride. He could almost imagine her smiling back but he couldn't really tell underneath the veil. Pete handed Rose's hands to Joshua and they stood, facing one another.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered her today to marry this man and this woman. Under normal circumstances, I would read the vows which they would repeat to one another. They have chosen, however, to write their own vows. As is custom where the groom is from, there is a small hand-fasting ceremony as well. Rose?”

Rose faced her bond-mate fully. She could feel the happy hum in the back of her mind, but it seemed more than usual. Like it was amplified. There were several telepaths in the audience. She shook off her worry and began reciting the words she had wrote.

“For the first nineteen years of my life, nothing happened. We met on what was an ordinary day at work for me. Dead-end job. I was volunteered to go to the basement to drop something off. Little did I know, the place had come alive. Just when I thought I was done for, a hand grasped mine and told me to run. And run we have. Through galaxies and universes, we've traveled together. When I lost you, I lost a piece of myself. When you told me it was impossible for me to get back, that only fueled the fire. I proved you wrong and found you again. This is our second start, and I want to spend the rest of my life running with you by my side.”

“Rose Tyler. I was a broken man when we met. I'd lost everything. Saving your life made me hope I was one step closer to redemption. But I couldn't let someone as bright as you get caught up in my darkness. I pushed you away, only to immediately need your help. You saved me that night, just as much as I saved you. When I showed you the worst of me, you didn't run. You took my hand, held me close, and let me know that I wasn't alone so long as you were there. When I lost you, I broke. I tried everything I could think of and it still wasn't enough. All I could do was get a short message through. When I told you it was impossible, I truly thought it was. But then, you proved me wrong. I've held you tightly ever since. And I will never let you go.”

The man in the shadows grinned. This was the happy couple at the start of their journey. IT warmed his heart to see them like this. It almost made him not continue with his surprise. He'd come so far, though, and refused to give up. He walked from the shadows and cleared his throat.

“Well, that was a lovely speech. By both of you, I might add. But I'm going to have to interrupt.”

Blood drained from Joshua's face. He knew that voice. Rose knew that voice. He'd taken her down those horrible memories months ago, when they had ran away. Of all the people he didn't want here, this man topped that list. The man continued speaking, and Joshua's grip on Rose became tighter. He refused to face the voice.

“To do this ceremony properly, each side has to declare their consent for the union. It would be my honor, if you'd let me, to be the one representing you.”

Of all the things the Master could have said, Joshua did not expect that. He turned slowly around and faced the voice. The body still belonged to the same body he last remembered. The one who had tortured him and Jack. The one who had died in his arms. How was it that he was here?

“You seem speechless, Joshua.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Paying a debt. And attending my best friend's wedding. I even have an invitation.” The Master held his hand out and there was one of the invitations they had sent out. Joshua snatched it from his hand and opened it. Inside were engraved the words “To Melody Pond and her Plus One”. Joshua dropped the invitation to the floor. Rose bent to pick it up. After reading the inscription, she turned to her best friend.

“Melody? What's going on here?”

“Use your heart, Rose. You tell me.” Before Rose could close her eyes, the Master started talking again.

“I'll spell it out for you if you like. Melody Pond is my bond-mate. She's been here for years preparing for this. And believe it or not, she really does have your best interests at heart. We both do.”

“You're evil.” Joshua spat at the Master. He felt Rose step in front of him, before he saw her. When she looked back at him, he saw the faint glow that meant the Wolf was protecting him. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

“Koschei, step forward.” Joshua watched as his oldest fr-enemy not only complied, but bowed his head as he stepped close to Rose.

“Why are you here?”

“To represent my brother in everything but blood as he vows to spend the rest of his life with you.”

“How did you get here?”

“You know I can't answer that, Rose. Spoilers.” This earned an eye-roll from Joshua. He had started to calm down. He'd never completely let his guard down, but this was more akin to the Koschei he knew growing up.

“Look at me, Koschei.” Joshua gasped at what he saw. The last time he'd seen the Master, you could see the insanity in his eyes. Now, Joshua only saw warmth and adoration. He held out his hand and Melody took it. He could feel the strength of their bond, now that he knew what he was looking for. Melody spoke softly and directly to Joshua.

“We couldn't bring all your friends and family here. The trip was too risky as it was. But know that they all love you and wish you the best. The only other person who could've made the trip, is standing at the back. And he would be honored if you would let him do the ceremony.”

Joshua and Rose both turned their heads. There, at the back of the room, stood Captain Jack Harkness. He looked happier than the last time either had seen him. Joshua hadn't even felt him near, which was amazing considering how wrong he normally felt.

“It's a filter. I made it for him. Makes it easier to work with him if I'm not constantly cringing. He was skeptical at first, which he had every right to be. But you and Rose both assured him that it worked and that it was safe for him to wear.” The Master, no, Koschei explained all this as Jack came up the aisle. Since Koschei had crashed the ceremony, the audience had been strangely silent. Each person watched as the supposed wedding of the century was interrupted. The tension that was high in the room started to dim as Jack came closer to the altar. Finally unable to resist, Rose launched herself at him. Jack swept her up in a huge hug and twirled her around. Joshua felt Koschei's hand in his moments before he heard the thoughts.

_'She is a remarkable woman, your Rose. Know that no matter what happens, she loves you. Every you, no matter the face you are wearing and no matter the species. But this is a special time for you both. You'll face hardships you never dreamed and you know I can't tell you more than that. But know this, so long as the Doctor exists, Rose Tyler will find a way to your side.'_

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Jackie Tyler was furious. Of all the places she didn't expect to be invaded, it was her daughter's wedding. They had taken precautions! But as the scene unfolded and the tension left the room, she came to understand. These people weren't here to ruin the wedding. On the contrary, they were here to help it along. And not just in any way. It was the Doctor's chosen family. Not all of them, of course. But once she saw the tension leave his body, she knew that this was what he had needed.

She was thrilled to see Jack Harkness again as well. He'd visited before, when the Doctor was all leather and big ears. He was a charmer but mostly harmless. She knew that he had become one of Rose's best friends. When she thought he'd died, Rose spent days mourning. The Doctor thought it was because he had changed and had stayed away. Maybe he could have shed some light on it sooner had he stayed. Rose found Jack on her third jump across the Universes. When she'd come back from that jump, she told Jackie what had happened. Third jump was a success. They'd even hit the right Universe, just the wrong time. Jack had clued her in to a bunch of what had happened since she'd been gone. The Valiant hadn't happened for him yet. He was still searching for them and was more than happy when Rose recognized him. He did his part and made sure she knew the rules of Time Travel before sending her back. At least the ones she hadn't picked up from the Doctor.

The Time Travelers settled themselves into their respective spots. It took her a moment to realize they were all waiting on her to take her spot beside her daughter. With as much grace as she could muster, considering tears were streaming down her face, she took her place at the altar.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua almost cried when he heard the first stirrings of his native language. Jack spoke the melodious tones like an expert. No one else could understand them, but it made his heart fill with love for the man. He didn't ask how he knew the words. Somehow he knew he wouldn't get a straight answer. What surprised him was when Rose answered. Jack switched to English so Jackie would know her prompt and switched back to Gallifreyan for the rest of the ceremony. Koschei and Jackie helped to tie the ribbon around their hands. When they were finished, Jack lifted Rose's veil gently so the entire world could see her in her beauty. Joshua kissed her hard and passionately, but not so much that they would get distracted. He unbound their hands and fished the pendant from his pocket. He fastened it gently around her neck. Koschei surprised him by producing an identical pendant for Rose to put around his neck. Then they exchanged rings. In the eyes of both their peoples, they were wed. Joshua picked Rose up and spun her around in joy before kissing her again to the cheers of everyone present.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Jackie watched as Joshua led Rose across the dance floor. He knew the man could dance. Rose had told her more than once that he could but it was a completely different thing to be told and to actually watch him. The strange man who had interrupted the wedding sidled up to Jackie. They stood there, admiring the couple. Before long, the man spoke.

“I've heard so much about you, Jackie. It's nice to finally meet you in person.” Jackie stared at him for a moment. Her reply was curt and if he hadn't been expecting it, he might have been hurt by it.

“Exactly what are you to them? Himself especially?”

“What I am now is his friend. We grew up together. We grew apart. My people implanted something in my brain that drove me insane. Because of this, for a long time I was his greatest enemy. I've tortured him and tried to kill him. But when it mattered most, I was there for him. Then I met Rose. She did the one thing that no one else could. She took away my insanity. For the first time in centuries, I could think clearly. I was ashamed of what I had done and begged forgiveness. They made me promise to work alongside Jack to pay off my debt. I'd wronged Jack as well. Probably more so than I ever did the Doctor. But in the end, mostly with Rose's help, I've come to prove myself to them. Your daughter is remarkable.”

“I know. You shouldn't be telling me most of this. It's their future, isn't it?” Koschei grins at Jackie. The years of dealing with Time Travelers have obviously rubbed off on her.

“You're right, I shouldn't. But I'm going to give you a few spoilers because your daughter will need your unconditional support soon. They are about to hit a very rough spot, Jackie. Then Rose will disappear. You're the only thing that keeps them together. They will both need you, before it's over.”

“Will they be happy in the long run, though?”

“Undoubtedly.”

“Then that's all I could ever ask for. C'mon. Up you get. A dance before you all go. If I know anything, you are probably on a bit of a schedule, aren't you?” Koschei shrugged but showed her a gentle smile.

“I'm sure Joshua and Rose's schedule is more pressing than ours. But I'd be more than happy to share a dance with you.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua watched as his mother-in-law danced with his oldest friend. After today, he could actually say that. His showing up didn't erase what had happened to him during the Year That Never Was. Nothing could erase that. But he could looked at Koschei now and saw the boy he grew up with and not the Master. A weight that Joshua didn't know he had listed off his shoulders during his wedding. Seeing Jack again was brilliant as well. They had made amends, but he would always feel guilty for leaving him behind.

He watched Jack and Rose dance across the floor as well. Jack had been polite enough to let Joshua dance with Rose for a while but he had finally cut in a few minutes ago. Joshua sat at the sidelines, watching everyone and felt content. Melody sidled up to him and put her arm around him in a sideways hug.

“I'm sorry for lying to you. But how would you have reacted if you'd known?”

“Probably badly, to be honest. Koschei has always been a part of my life, and usually not a good part. I still can't believe he's taken a Bondmate.”

“I wasn't lying when I said that was the youngest I'd ever seen you.” Joshua looked at her wide-eyed and Melody gave him a small smile.

“How?”

“I can't tell you. Then you'll tell Rose. I can't let those times change. My life is a circular paradox up to that point and the circle must stay intact.”

“I know how circular paradoxes work, Melody. So you really are River Song?”

“A name I was given at my birth. It took a very long time before I knew it, though. My entire life is complicated. Well, it was. Then I met Koschei.”

“I bet he makes your life interesting.”

“You have no idea. But I'm sure he'd say I that I bring the adventure to our partnership.”

“I bet you do. Is he....are they friends?”

“Best of friends.” Joshua smiled. Another weight was lifted from his shoulders. He was glad that his other half had his friend back as well. “Care to dance, Doctor?”

Joshua smiled and took her hand. He let her lead him to the dance floor.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Rose decided that this was the single best day of her life. She and Joshua had officially married and here she was, dancing with her best friend. She never thought she would see Jack again. His eyes looked haunted, like he'd lost too much, but there was a light in them as well. She longed to ask him what, or who, had put the light there, but she didn't. She just enjoyed him twirling her in his arms. She saw her mother dancing with Koschei. That had been a surprise. And Melody was leading Joshua onto the dance floor. Her life had fallen into place. She knew that they couldn't stay long and she would be sad to see them go. But the golden glow that Rose associated with the Wolf seemed to say she would see them again.

 


	27. Honeymooning

**Honeymooning**

**Day 1**

Joshua had booked them a cruise in the Mediterranean. Despite their adventuring past, Rose was excited. She'd never been on a cruise before. Joshua wouldn't admit it, but the only cruises he'd ever been on had ended in disaster. But he wanted this to be the best time of his and Rose's life. They were married, after all.

They were scheduled to depart from Rome at 8pm. Joshua made sure that they arrived in the city early in the day. He was excited and wanted to see the sights. Rose assured him that most things were the same but it didn't matter. He wanted to experience it for himself. So they spent the day touring the city. He even visited the museum where the Statue of Fortuna was held in their Universe. Not surprisingly, they didn't have it.

Joshua and Rose checked in to the cruise ship an hour early. That way they had plenty of time to unpack before departure. They wanted to be on deck for the departure. They even managed to not get too distracted in their suite before their departure time. They watched, twin grins on their faces, before heading to one of the many restaurants.

**Day 2**

Their second day, they docked in Naples. He'd tried to take her there once, back when he was all gruff and Northern. They'd ended up in Cardiff, facing zombies instead. It was the first time he'd realized that she was falling for him. Or at least suspected. Hoped? She'd looked so beautiful in that dress and he'd told her as much. Then he had to qualify it out of embarrassment. He was such a fool.

They subjected themselves to the guided tour. Rose had to quiet Joshua on more than one occasion and remind him that this wasn't the same Universe and no, those events didn't happen exactly like he remembered. He spent the entire time whispering his exploits to her, which made her giggle and the tour guide glare at them both. All-in-all, it was a good day.

That night, they made love for the first time since officially being married. They took their time, exploring one another's bodies. Their bond flared and cemented, tying them closer together. They pushed one another to the edges of ecstasy before finally letting one another tumble over.

**Day 3**

The third day was spent entirely on the water. They were headed across the Mediterranean Sea and would dock the next day at Barcelona. Rose started her day in the spa, while Joshua explored the many activities that were offered on the cruise ship. They met and ate a light lunch before heading to the pool. Her first Doctor loathed taking her to the beach. She'd learned, later, that it was because he cold barely control his impulses around her. She felt a bit satisfied at that, and a bit sad. She'd loved him as long as she could remember. At least since their first trip to Cardiff, when they met Charles Dickens. Rose smiled as she remembered her first Doctor.

As her memories shifted to her second Doctor, Rose drifted to a light slumber. Joshua lay, relaxed, beside her and held her hand gently. Together, they were content.

**Days 4-7**

Barcelona. They finally made it. While it isn't the planet that he had promised so long ago, it was still a sight to behold. Beaches, resorts, and culture galore for them to explore. Their cruise was over, but they planned to have an extended stay to enjoy the sights before finally heading home. It was a closing for them, in some ways.

They checked into their hotel room before heading out into the city. Joshua was excited and wanted her to try some of the local cuisine. It was so Doctor-like that for a moment, she forgot they were in the same time zone and planet. The people didn't look any different, but the language was foreign and she immersed herself in the strangeness of it all. It was easy to pretend, just for a little while.

Their last days were filled with exploring and their nights were filled with gentle touches and soft sighs.

 


	28. Possession is a 4-Letter Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut. Light bondage.

** Possession is a 4-Letter Word **

It was their last full day at Barcelona before heading back to London. They decided to spend the day at the beach, lounging in the sand and playing in the waves. The entire week had been absolutely wonderful and both were loathe for it to end.

Things started going sour by mid afternoon, though. It wasn't either of their faults, really. But Rose was in her skimpy bikini and more than one bloke had propositioned her in one way or another. Joshua was reigning in his possessiveness, for the most part. The glares were still there, but he managed to not growl at each person that attempted.

He hadn't been this possessive and territorial since his Ninth body and it honestly had him concerned. He didn't think it was the wedding and marriage itself that had created this reaction in him. Their bond had settled in a bit more since being on their honeymoon. Perhaps that had something to do with it. What he did know is that this feeling was winding tight in his gut and he was about to burst. He had a fleeting thought at one point to throw Rose over his shoulder and carry her back to their room. Other, darker, more primal urges were also awakening. He wanted to mark her, visibly, as his own. Perhaps tie her down so she would know exactly to whom she belonged.

He shook his head, trying to scatter these thoughts. These weren't typical thoughts of his and he wondered where they were coming from. Had Jack somehow weaseled his way into his mind somehow. Certainly Koschei had the ability to, if he had really wanted. But he didn't feel like he'd been violated, at least not in that way.

Thoughts like these dotted his mind the entire day. By the time they retired to their hotel room that night, Joshua was more than bothered. Rose could tell something was wrong but Joshua had erected his mental shields up tight so as to not alarm her. By the time they made it to their room, she had decided to take it upon herself to figure out what was bothering him.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua tried deflecting. He really did. He distracted her in every way he could think without actually taking her to bed. They had shared so much, but he thought that the urges he felt would push her away. But Rose, as always, was stubborn. Finally, she mentally shoved him hard enough that he stumbled backwards in shock. His eyes immediately blew wide. He pinned her hands above her head, and bent down.

“Don't, Rose.” He growled into her ear. Instead of the pang of fear he expected, he was swept by a wave of lust emanating down their bond. He lost a bit more control, but didn't move. Not yet. He dropped his shields, letting her see the images that had been playing through his mind for hours. Rose gasped and arched into him, surprising him. He immediately tightened his hold on her hands.

He kissed her frantically, keeping her hands secured in one of his own. She didn't try to run from him, or tell him to stop. He eased them slowly to the bed, grabbing a discarded tie on the way. He wrapped it around her wrists, tying it snugly and checked to make sure circulation was still flowing properly. He chanced a glance towards her face. He found no fear, there, just barely bridled lust. It encouraged him to take the next step in his unplanned seduction.

With another tie, he quickly secured her hands to the headboard. She was completely at his mercy. Her eyes were still blown wide with lust and an unending trust that was almost his undoing. But he started this dance and he is determined to finish it.

'TARDIS if I cross a line.' He felt her affirmative hum in the back of his mind before he started.

He picked something simple to start with and not all that arousing. A foot rub. Something to relax her and it worked. But as he hit a particular spot in the arch of her foot, she moaned and suddenly, he wanted things to escalate.

He fingertips started up her legs. Briefly, teasing, and it drove her wild. He would reach a few inches, then retreat. His fingertips barely brushed her skin, sending goosebumps across her body. He brought them excruciatingly close to where she wanted them buried. He continued his torture for several moments, eliciting strangled gasps from her mouth before skipping over her hips entirely.

He treated the top half of her much like he had the bottom, with teasing touches. Soon enough, he had her writhing and moaning, almost begging. This wasn't a game they had played before, but she instinctively knew what to do and not to do. He was pleased. These were fantasies he'd had when he was leather and was surprised they had manifested. But he felt more feral and raw today after seeing those other men's gazes on her and couldn't help himself.

He climbed off the bed abruptly, making her open her eyes and regard him. He started undressing slowly, giving her a bit of a strip tease while she lay there, helpless. He wasn't in his normal layers, so he undressed slower than he would have if he'd had more clothes on. Soon enough, his clothes lay in a pile on the floor and he climbed back up her.

He sank into her slowly, eliciting a shuddering moan from her. He stilled inside her, seeming to wait. She writhed, trying to get him to move. In retaliation, he kissed her deeply. Her writhing stilled. As a reward, Joshua started languidly thrusting into her. He stroked were shallow and long and nothing like what she wanted. He refused to listen to her pleas in his mind and kept the pace slowly.

Without warning, he pulled almost completely out of her. Rose started to whimper at the loss before Joshua slammed into her hard. Rose cried out, the sensation almost more pain than pleasure. He did it again, still keeping his strokes long, but making sure to hit her deeper. It still wasn't exactly what she wanted, but it was close. Her body slid closer to the precipice of orgasm with each stroke.

Joshua reached up and quickly untied her hands, letting her have the freedom to touch him again. As much as he had enjoyed the total control, he loved it more to feel her stroking his skin and pulling his hair.

As soon as she was free, Rose wrapped her arms around him, digging her nails into his back. It wasn't enough to leave a mark, but definitely enough to spur him on and make him move faster. He grabbed her thighs, hooking his arms underneath her knees and shifted her. Finally, Joshua was hitting her where she needed and wanted. It didn't take long for her to climax and she screamed his name.

He pounded heavily into her, trying to prolong her orgasm and chase his own. It took him five thrust before his body started convulsing. He collapsed, barely catching himself on his elbows before he crushed Rose. After a few moments, he grabbed each of her wrists and placed a gentle kiss where the slight discoloration was from his ties. He knew she would be healed by the time she went back to work.

He eventually rolled them onto their sides, where they held one another as they calmed down. Each radiated a sated happiness down their bond.

After an entire day in the sun and some rigorous activities afterwards, they fell into a gentle sleep. Tomorrow, they would be going home.


	29. Torchwood Convention

**Torchwood Convention**

November 12, 2011

Joshua hated tuxedos. Never mind that nothing good every seemed to happy in one. Tuxedo of Doom, he once dubbed it. Disaster always seemed to strike when he wore one. He had managed to stay away from the fateful ensemble during his wedding and subsequent required functions for the University. This, however, he couldn't avoid. It was the annual Torchwood Convention. It used to be the Vitex Convention but once Pete had gone public with Torchwood, they had merged. They still touched on Vitex, for sure, but they mostly concentrated on Torchwood and the varying causes they pursued.

Most colleges and Universities in the World were funded, at least in part, by their local Torchwood. Joshua had been volunteered as his University's spokesman for the event, mostly because of his close ties to Pete and Rose. It wasn't his favorite thing in the world and he didn't want to do it. He felt like the University was using him, thinking they could gain extra influence because of his relationship with the Tyler's.

Rose was wearing a simple black dress with minimal makeup. She was playing up the role of Vitex heiress and as such, did not have a firearm of any sort on her. They had been having these conventions for three years and not once had anything gone wrong. They had plenty of guards, and Joshua was carrying his sonic, so she kept her weapons at home. It was too difficult to try and conceal in a dress, anyway. She had an image to uphold.

They arrived in a limo which was provided by Pete. Joshua didn't like it. He didn't like the publicity that came with being associated with the Tyler name. Wisely, he shut his gob and just went with it. Rose could feel his apprehension and tried to soothe him as much as possible but nothing she did could really calm him.

They took their seats after mingling for a bit and waited for the introductions and presentations.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua was extremely bored. Well, bored didn't really cover it. The presentations were all on things he'd learned in his early years. A couple held promise. Ways to get into space and explore. But mostly, he was tired of sitting and listening to people drone on about things they really didn't know anything about.

More than once, Rose had to kick him under the table to keep him from correcting a speaker. Finally, he started keeping running commentary in his mind, making sure to keep their link wide open so Rose could hear. More than once, she'd had to stop herself from laughing out loud. It helped keep him amused until the last speaker. He'd almost snorted out his champagne.

There, on the podium, stood Adam Mitchell. He still looked as pompous as Joshua remembered. And he doubted this one had a door that let you see his brain. Still, he kept imagining snapping his fingers and it opening. Rose had to excuse herself before she fell into a fit of laughter. It was the highlight of his night, really.

After the presentations, there's drinks and nibbles and all sorts of things that remind Joshua why he likes parties. There's also mingling and forming alliances and other stuff that he absolutely hates.

When Adam sought out Rose, Joshua's hackles rose. Rose was swift in deflecting the boy. It wasn't as if the entire world didn't know they are married. Their wedding made international headlines. He took the plate he had loaded with assorted nibbles and made his way back to his wife. He glanced at Adam pointedly and wisely, the boy backed off. Secure in his place, he let their conversation continue.

Adam was talking nonsense about slip stream engines and space travel. More of the useless drivel they had heard in the presentations. Even though this world was much further along than where he came from, space travel still wouldn't be possible for at least another century. It would take another century before they would be able to venture into deep space.

Oh, they had the mechanics correct. And plenty of off-world friends to help them along. That thought made Joshua pause. With help, they could get off the planet. So the theory was plausible. He wasn't about to let Adam know that, though.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua managed to expertly avoid unwanted questions for most of the night. The press was there, of course. They wanted juicy gossip bits to print or air the next day.

Then there were the other intellectuals from other Universities. He held polite conversation with them, but never let it go for too long.

Rose was busy playing heiress as well as Ambassador. A few off-worlders had attended the party. Of all the people there, Joshua felt most at home with them. They received a few wary glances, of course. Not everyone was happy with them living here, but thankfully, they kept their opinions to themselves.

That's where Rose found him, close to ten in the evening. He was chatting with a Fuloxian couple about different cuisine across the cosmos. She smiled as she listened. This was the Doctor she remembered. The one who jumped feet first into danger but also into companionship. He would make friends with anyone, so long as they weren't threatening. He'd proven he was as much the Oncoming Storm that she remembered. A little more brutal, perhaps. But his main goal was still to try to solve things without violence.

And she loved him for that. Because he wasn't the monster the Time Lord had made him out to be. Yes, he definitely needed her, just like he'd said. But he was compassionate and thoughtful of others, usually before himself. All the things she's always loved and admired in the Doctor, Joshua possesses in spades.

She took his hand and squeezed gently. He smiled down at her. The couple he was chatting with politely took their leave.

“Ready to go home, my love?” Joshua's eyes danced, but there was a heat there that made her shiver.

“Always.”

 


	30. Christmas 2011

** Christmas 2011 **

Rose was woken Christmas morning by a bouncing Joshua, eager for her to wake. She compared him to her younger brother. He pouted for a moment before kissing her soundly. He'd been compared to much worse in his long life. Being compared to a hyper 4-year-old was nothing. And really, it was Christmas!

Rose groaned and buried her face in the pillow.

“Joshua, the sun isn't even up yet.”

“So? We have to go to your parents' later. I want to give you my presents now. Before we have to go.” His voice was almost a whine. Yep, definitely a toddler parading around as an adult.

She groaned. Joshua wouldn't stop until she got out of bed. He was obviously excited about something and no amount of whining on her part would get him to leave, she was sure. So, apparently it was time for her to get up for the day.

She sat slowly and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She could smell breakfast wafting in from the kitchen. She yawned before getting out of bed and padding grudgingly towards the smell of food. Joshua was bouncing ahead of her. She wanted to growl at his morning antics, but couldn't conjure the energy.

Breakfast was a mostly quiet affair. Joshua was still bouncing in his seat. As Rose ate, she became more awake and less likely to bite his head off. He knew this. They'd traveled together for years before they were separated. And once they found one another again, they had slipped back into the companionship they had once shared.

They made their way to the living room and their tree. Underneath were presents between the both of them as well as for the rest of the family. He grabbed the two he wanted to give her privately and sat back on their couch. She did the same. They exchanged presents. Grinning, they tore into the wrapping.

Rose gasped as she opened her first present. It was a necklace that matched her wedding ring perfectly. She teared a bit as she turned and asked him to put it around her neck. There was a matching bracelet which she also immediately put on.

Her other present was a bit more racy. He had picked out a sexy lingerie set for her, also blue. It wasn't the most revealing of things she owned, but the fact that he had picked it made her stomach do a little flip. When she looked at him, he looked a bit sheepish but she couldn't deny the fire of lust in his eyes. She leaned over and kissed him. It was slow and languid. They broke apart, panting slightly.

Her presents for him were both on the mild side. The first was a simple but tasteful wrist watch. He could still keep perfectly with time and the turn of the Earth. But, it had a few extra features that most watches didn't normally have. For one, it synced with his cell phone. The watch face was touch screen and would display the same as if his phone was out. He shot her a quick smirk.

“A bit Spock, isn't it?” Rose giggled and shook her head.

“I was thinking more along the lines of James Bond.”

“Really? I think I'd make a great James Bond. Do they have those films here?”

“Yup.”

His second present was a series of t-shirts. Nothing over the top, just a few bands he'd taken an interest in since coming to this Universe. Bands they didn't have in their original Universe. The last shirt, had him rolling on the floor laughing. It was a light blue t-shirt with darker blue lettering: “Trust me, I'm a Doctor.”

“Oh that is just...I don't even have the words. You think I'd get in trouble if I wore it to your Mum's today?”

“I think she'd be more offended if you didn't. She picked that one.”

After presents, they quickly got ready to go to the mansion with Joshua proudly displaying his new t-shirt.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Once they arrived, Jackie greeted them both with a kiss on the cheek. Joshua tried to feign disgust but everyone knew that it was a ruse. He and Jackie had gotten close since he had come here. More than once, she thanked him for being here with Rose. She had her daughter back and now a son-in-law. She hadn't talked about grandbabies again. As far as she was concerned, their little family was complete.

Tony slammed into Rose hugging her legs until she picked him up. Together, they went to the sitting room where the tree stood. He started babbling about the various gifts that were under the tree and the decorations that he had made that were on the tree.

Joshua joined them shortly and the three sat, staring at the tree and hypothesizing what could be in the boxes.

Soon they were called into the Dining room and tucked into their food.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Jackie surveyed the damage to her sitting room and shook her head. It looked like a tornado had swept through and thrown wrapping paper all over the place. Rose and Joshua had left after the unwrapping of the presents with a promise that they would be back tomorrow. Tony was asleep in his room and Pete was sitting in his office, nursing a small glass of brandy. She could have felt alone, but looking at the after effects of the family gathering, she couldn't help but feel an immense sense of calm.

Joshua had gotten something techy for every member of the family except her. Each piece was crafted by himself and she couldn't help but see the Doctor in him at that moment. He'd gotten her a necklace. It wasn't anything elaborate. He'd honestly seemed a bit ashamed that he didn't know what he could make her that she would enjoy. She'd hugged him in that moment and assured him that anything he made, she would appreciate. He had walked away with a thoughtful look and a mischievous glint in his eye.

He'd made a chip for Pete to put in his phone. It enhanced reception as well as the capacity of the memory. Pete could run just about anything on it now. Joshua had also built in a a translator. It didn't have all of the languages that Joshua knew, but it did have all of the current Earth languages as well as the most frequent aliens that decided to come to Earth. All-in-all it was a very useful present for Pete.

He'd built Tony a robot. Thankfully, it looked nothing like a Cyberman. It resembled Wall-E from one of the movies from their original Universe. It would even pick up toys and place them in it's front pouch. Thankfully, it didn't compress the things it picked up.

Rose was given a sonic screw-driver with a pink tip. Rose had almost cried at the thought-fullness of the gift. He explained that he'd given it as many features as his was capable of. He'd also told her that she deserved a better version than the one she had taken from the bubble Universe where he'd died. She did cry then, upset over the memories those comments had dredged but soon was able to recover. There was no need to mourn now that she had him.

Jackie smiled softly, remembering the night they had just had. Her family was happy, together, and complete.


	31. Family Planning

**Family Planning**

Joshua had the TARDIS coral and had tried numerous times to get it to grow. No matter what he tried, she stubbornly refused to. He wasn't sure if it was the Universe or him, but it seemed this little coral refused to grow for him. At first, he was severely depressed and even drew away from Rose for a while. She finally was able to draw him from his depression, but they never were able to get the coral to grow. He'd finally given it to Rose to keep safe. The little girl was alive. They both could feel her but he didn't want any more reminders of how inept he was as a Time Lord. Rose had taken the coral and hidden it away from him. She spoke to it often, when he wasn't around, encouraging her. Nothing seemed to work. Eventually, she also gave up that dream. Another took it's place, though.

They spent six years together before it happened. Nothing traumatic, exactly. But suddenly, once Rose had turned 30, she decided that she and Joshua should try for a child. They had been taking precautions, keeping her on birth control. Joshua had started taking an experimental birth control for men. Between the two precautions, they hadn't gotten pregnant. But on her birthday, in the year 2017, she finally decided she wanted to try.

The urges had come gradually. She'd stare wistfully at couples with newborns. She watched Tony grow and wondered what it would be like to have a child of her own. It seemed almost every encounter she faced now was with families. As the Ambassador of Torchwood, she dealt with plenty of different aliens and while not all of them had families, it seemed that the ones that did stuck with her more.

It had been years since any sort of invasion had happened and for once, she felt safe and content. There wasn't a looming disaster for her to deal with. That factored into her decision. Safety for her family would always be her main concern and it seemed that for once, the Universe was smiling at her.

When she told Joshua, he'd been ecstatic. He'd never really thought that she would want this. He remembered that she had once called them “little terrors”. But seeing her with Tony and he understood. Not having any children of her own, she had helped raise Tony along with their parents. Joshua supposed that had given her a new perspective.

They had the financial means to raise a family, but not really the space. The first thing they did was buy a house. For nostalgia, they painted the front door blue, like the TARDIS. The rest of the exterior was painted a paler blue.

They sat down with an OB/GYN next. She explained that even if they discontinued the birth controls, it might still take a while for their bodies to readjust. Meaning, it might be a while before they even became pregnant. Both were in perfect health, as far as she could tell. She urged them to not get disappointed if it didn't happen immediately. They both nodded their understanding.

They started immediately on trying to create their family. Two years passed before they ventured to think that something might be wrong.

 


	32. A Question of Fertility

** A Question of Fertility **

Rose had turned 32. They had been trying for two years to get pregnant with no luck. Her cycles were still erratic and they finally determined they needed to get more expert help.

Joshua reluctantly made his way back to Torchwood to be seen by Doctor Martin. They hadn't seen him regularly since Joshua stopped having attacks. He was happy to see them both, though.

They went through a series of fertility tests as well as genetic makeup. Joshua had once told Jackie that he wasn't sure if they would ever be able to have children and those fears were now churning in his mind. He tried to mask his concern from Rose but she'd been thinking the same thing.

The fertility test proved that they were both healthy and fertile, which eased their worried. They were assured that they both seemed perfectly human as well, despite their pasts. Joshua seemed troubled by the news. He should at least only show as partially human. He scanned the results himself but he couldn't dispute the Martin's results. On paper, they seemed perfectly human and compatible. Something didn't add up, though.

He knew he was different. He knew Rose was as well. She hadn't shown many signs of Bad Wolf in years, but the fact that the energy had seemed to bind with her cells made him determined to build something that would be able to give them a more accurate reading.

He began to work on a machine in his spare time. He asked Pete if he could tour the Archives in search of the mechanics he might need, which Pete granted readily. He could see how this was straining the both of them and wanted to help as best as he could.

Joshua took a leave of absence from teaching to work full time on the project. It took him six months of diligent work before he was finished with it, and then he had to test it. He started small, taking volunteers for his project. Many of the mixed humanoids that knew Torchwood volunteered for the process. After a month of tests, he determined that the machine was working. He'd taught Kamille how to work it.

Rose went first. It was intended to be a real-time scan of their DNA. It was very similar in functionality to something he had on the TARDIS. Like the bio-scanner on the TARDIS, he would also be able to see any Artron deposits that were bound to their cells.

At first, Rose's DNA looked to be the same as any typical human. The longer he stared at the image, though, the more he noticed changes. It seemed to flicker, but he could see the Artron welded to her cells. Looking a bit longer, he saw darker particles next to each lighter particle of Time. So many trips through the Void. It was bound to her as tightly as Time was. With power of destruction and life, forever battling with her as their battleground. He'd never seen anything like it before and it frightened him. What would this mean for them?

Rose stepped away and it was Joshua's turn. He turned the monitor so he could read it but closed his eyes. He'd give it a few moments to do a complete work-up before glancing back. When he did finally open his eyes, he gasped. His DNA looked completely human. He knew his mind was the mind of a Time Lord. Otherwise, he would have burnt up before now. His biology, however, seemed to be completely human. He waited a few moments, hoping to see some of the flickers he had noticed with Rose. There was nothing. He was completely human and she wasn't. She was just changed enough, and that made all the difference. He knew with certainty, then, that they would never have children. The abnormalities in her system made it impossible for her to bear children with anything that didn't have similar bindings to their physiology. The only way she would bear children would be if she was with a full Time Lord.

For the first time since coming here, he felt truly sorry that he had managed to take her from him. She would never have a normal life here. Oh, he knew that she would probably live longer than him. He already knew that her cells regenerated at an almost constant pace. That was why she hadn't aged since she looked into the Heart of the TARDIS. But now he knew, with certainty, that after he left her, she would be forever alone. He'd never wanted that for her.

He took a deep breath and looked at her. He barely shook his head, but she noticed. She nodded once before stepping out of the room. He hated himself for upsetting her, but she needed to know the truth. When they got home, he vowed to tell her everything.


	33. Depression

** Depression **

Rose sat beside Joshua on their new love seat, their hands clasped together. They had been silent the entire trip home and to be honest, she was completely drained. But she knew that he wanted to talk to her. From his reaction at Torchwood, it couldn't be good. She could feel her hope draining from her until she felt hollow.

They sat silently for almost ten minutes before he started talking. He didn't sugar coat, like she expected. He kept his tone flat, like he was lecturing. He was completely honest in his assessment. He explained to her the differences in her physiology from his own. He told her how she could never have children with him and her only chance would probably be the Doctor. He explained how she didn't age and would outlive him. She didn't say a word to him as he talked and she had closed herself off mentally. The barriers she erected in his mind made him sick and he almost begged her to let him back in but he didn't. He'd give her the time she needed.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

A few days passed and she still hadn't opened back up to him. She stayed at Torchwood late and left early each morning. It was close to Christmas and she still kept to herself. He honestly didn't know what to do. He wanted to give her space but he was hurting too. They had tried so hard for two years to create a family and he was just as devastated as she about what they had found. After failing with the TARDIS coral, and now this, he didn't know how he would be able to go on without her with him. He slipped into his own depression.

When he did finally get to see her again, she'd lost weight. He could tell she wasn't eating, nor sleeping but he didn't know how to remedy that. Not when he was going through his own mourning. And that's what it was, a mourning. He decided that he would let it take it's course and hope they would be better afterwards.

He stopped letting himself wallow and instead put his every effort into making Rose happy. She wouldn't have any of it. She plead with him to leave her be and he felt his world slowly start to fall apart.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

The catalyst was the night he planned a nice meal for the two of them. She needed to eat and he hope that doing something slightly romantic, like setting the table with a centerpiece of candles and flowers, she would finally crack.

Instead, she came home, immediately looked at it, and fumed.

“I don't understand how you can keep going on like nothing has happened.”

“Because one of us has to, Rose.”

“I don't accept that. You can't pretend that you aren't upset.”

“I am upset. Much more than you probably know. You would know, if you would lower your bloody shields and let me in!”

“What? So you can get in my head? No thank you. I'm miserable enough without dding you to it right now.”

“No Rose. So I could help heal you.”

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. He didn't know where all the anger was coming from. Her eyes flashed in anger. Instead of the anger he was expecting, Rose's entire body glowed gold for a moment. He became alarmed. Her eyes had glowed before, and he was even used to that. But never her body. He had a moment to blink before she disappeared in a flash of gold.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua was frantic. Rose had just disappeared before his eyes and he wasn't sure why or where she had gone. He scrambled to the bedroom and fumbled for his phone. The first he called, the only one who might know what to do, was Pete Tyler.

“Listen, Pete. Rose has disappeared. There was a flash of gold, like with Bad Wolf, and then she was gone.”

“What do you mean gone?”

“She fucking disappeared in front of me, Pete! It was like she used a Vortex Manipulator. A device to travel through time. She was angry at me Pete. All I wanted to do was help her. And now I don't know where she is.”

“Where you fighting?”

“Yeah. I don't even know why. She's been so cold since we found out we would never have children. I don't know what to do.”

“Just, come to the mansion. She usually makes her way there after she has been upset. I'll phone Jackie and let her know what happened.”

“I'm not sure she'll take the news well, Pete. And I don't really feel like dealing with an angry Jackie Tyler.”

“Believe it or not, she's more than come to terms with her daughter disappearing. Not literally, but she's come to terms with Rose leaving.”

“If you're sure...”

“I am. Come up to the mansion and we'll put our heads together and see what we can do.”


	34. Jumping Through Time

** Jumping Through Time **

Rose was standing in her living room, arguing with Joshua. The next thing she knew, she was falling. All around her, she could feel the Vortex pulling her. It was so beautiful. She had a moment to think that before she was suddenly dropped from the Vortex. She barely caught herself as she tumbled through the alleyway. Everything around her was different. The air even smelled different than what she was used to.

She looked around, curious as to where she was and how she got there. What she was was an unbelievingly large bubble surrounding a city. People were bustling through the streets wearing robes of vibrant reds and golds. A few wore blue with gold. A pang of recognition coursed through as she realized where she was. She was on Gallifrey, in one of the many markets under the citadel. In the distance, she could see the citadel in all it's splendor.

She backed into the alley, hoping she hadn't been seen. She shouldn't be here.

“It's beautiful, isn't it?” Rose spun to see an elderly woman dressed in the same blue robes she'd seen others in. It took Rose a moment to realize the woman was speaking English and not the Gllifreyan she expected to hear.

“Who are you? And how am I here?”

“My name is impossible for you to pronounce. But you can trust me. As to how you got here, well, that's what I'm here to teach you. You are an amazing woman, Rose Noble. You've been through a bit of trauma recently, which triggered the last of your transformation. In doing so, you were brought here to the people who could help you.”

The woman's words should have put her on edge. Instead, Rose found herself believing that she could trust the woman. She was projecting the sincerity of her words and that immediately put Rose at ease.

“Is there something I can call you?” The woman smiled.

“You may call me mother. That's who I am, you know. Not yours, of course.” Realization dawned on Rose as to who this woman was. With that revelation, she smiled widely.

“Lead the way, Mother.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Mother led her through the alleyways, then the streets. It was much less crowded here and most seemed to be wearing the blue robes.

“Why the differences in the colors?”

“Oh, I see why he likes you. Red is the traditional robes here on Gallifrey. It's a combination of the red grass that covers the globe and the yellow represents the Vortex. The blue robes are in honor of the Doctor. While you are here, you will see that the colors are now primarily blue, in honor of him.”

“What did he do to deserve this honor?”

“He saved us, my dear. Those in red agreed with Rassilon, that we should ascend. The Doctor saved us, and the rest of the Universe, from this fate. Had we ascended, the whole of creation would have been destroyed. Unfortunately, this has created two factions. Obviously, most here agreed with him saving us.”

“I thought he destroyed Gallifrey.”

“He didn't. But he had to alter his memories to believe that he did. Every single one of his incarnations came together to save us. Because of this, he had to alter his memories of the event. Any time you are around your past self, the past version has to forget the memories to preserve the Time Line.”

“Nothing must change. If it does, that created a paradox. And because the Doctor is so ingrained in the dealing of the Universe, any change to the Time Line would be catastrophic, right?”

“Very good. I see you've learned quite a bit from my youngest son. Now, however, you will be learning from my oldest.”

The had stopped in front of a massive house on the outskirts of the city. Standing in front of the house were many people. Some she recognized from memories she had shared with Joshua. Others, she wasn't as sure who they were.

“Rose, meet the House of Lungbarrow.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Braxiatel was nothing like she imagined he would be. Joshua had always described him as gruff and hard to get along with. The man she met, however, seemed genuinely pleased to get to teach her. He showed his art gallery to her. Well, what was left at least. More than half of the collection had been destroyed in the War.

It took several days to learn what had happened to her. Because of her stint as Bad Wolf, she had changed her physiology to compare to the Doctor's. She wasn't a Time Lord. She was a mixture of a Time Lord and TARDIS. Because of this, she could travel through Time without a capsule at will. Also like a TARDIS, she could take people with her.

Braxiatel started off small. She learned to move herself through space first. It took several days before she was able to master this with pin point accuracy. Next, she was taught to move herself and one other person. Mother and Braxiatel were the only ones she was allowed to practice this with. The rest of the brood, many cousins as she had learned, were still in training and weren't allowed to make the trip yet. Despite their ages, ranging from 20 years to 200, they were still considered Time Tots.

It took her another two weeks before she could master taking someone with her. Then, the hard part started. Because they were in a bubble Universe, the could only jump to different points in Gallifrey's history or future. The Universe encompassed Gallifrey only. Because of this, there was no trade and they had to learn to support themselves without the aide of off-worlders.

They started by just going a few minutes either way. Rode found that much more exhausting than just going through space. It took several weeks of practice and jaunts into Gallifrey's ancient past and far future, before that weariness wore off. At that point, both Mother and Braxiatel deemed her ready to return home.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Mother made sure to have Rose's clothes returned to her for her journey home.

“It doesn't matter if you tell him what happened here or not. However, for the sake of your family, make it seem like you've only been gone minutes instead of months. I'm not sure if they would understand what has happened to you. When did you leave?”

“The beginning of December, the year 2019.”

“Aim for Christmas. They'll be worried sick, of course. You will have been gone for at least two weeks. But it doesn't matter when you land, they will have worried.”

“I think I will take your advice. Will I ever see you again?” Mother grinned softly.

“I imagine so, Rose Noble. But remember, the next time you see me, I won't know who you are. Oh, I'll sense the importance of who you are, but not your name. You'll have to find a way to tell me.”

“I will, Mother. See you soon.” Rose enveloped her in a bone crushing hug, which took a moment for her to return. It had been years since someone had touched her like that and the last had been her son. She did return the hug and watched as Rose faded out of sight.


	35. Chapter 35

**Reunion**

The atmosphere at the Tyler mansion was subdued. Each member of the family, including Tony, sat around the Christmas tree. None of the presents had been opened. They were all thinking of their missing family member. Joshua was the worst. He'd hoped that whatever had happened, she would come back at least within a few days. But she still hadn't shown. Torchwood had conducted tests, trying to find who had taken her but had come up empty handed. She had just disappeared with no trace.

Joshua sat with his back to the tree. He didn't want a reminder of the season and the fact that his wife, the love of his lives, wasn't there with him. He didn't even really want to be here but Jackie had persuaded him to come. By persuaded, she had grabbed him by his ear and forced him to come.

A crash and some very feminine cursing roused the household. Joshua was the first. He stopped in the doorway, hardly believing what he was seeing. There was Rose, in the same clothes she had left in, with broken dishes surrounding her. He didn't care. He ran up to her, stopping his outside of the ring of broken dishes.

“Are you really here?”

Rose turned slowly towards her husband. What she saw broke her heart. He looked withdrawn, like he hadn't been eating. There were dark rings under his eyes. His skin had taken on a deathly pale color. That was all that she needed to know. She stepped carefully out of the broken dishes and immediately hugged him. As soon as she touched him, he broke down crying.

_'I thought I'd lost you.'_

_'You won't ever lose me, Joshua. I'm sorry I've been gone and I promise I will tell you everything once we get home. I've been gone about three months, but my family mustn't know. That's why I came back with the clothes I left in. Oh, I have so much to tell you!'_

_'I'm just glad you're back. Please don't ever leave me.'_

_'Never. You're stuck with me.'_

Rose kissed Joshua tenderly on his mouth, cupping his face gently. She kissed his face where his tears had fallen before kissing both eyelids. He gradually calmed, but refused to let go of her. After a moment, he felt other arms encircling them. Jackie, Pete, and even Tony enveloped the two. It became a large group hug and the little family healed.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

They finished Christmas in much better spirits than they had started. Joshua refused to let go of her hand through dinner and they unwrapped their presents together. Rose told them all that she had only been gone moments, not the months that she had told Joshua. Finally, much later than they would normally stay, Rose and Joshua excused themselves. They promised Jackie they would be back the next day.

Once home, Joshua wasted no time in kissing Rose the way he'd wanted since he'd seen her in the Kitchen. She responded just as frantically. It had been over a month since she'd let him touch her at all, let alone intimately and even longer for her. They shed their clothes on the way to the bedroom.

They made love frantically, pouring their emotions through the Bond. Rose felt his hurt at her pushing him away. He felt her depression that they would never have a normal family. She felt his loss when she disappeared. He felt her fear of rejection that she couldn't provide him with the family she thought he wanted. More than anything, they each felt the love that they held for one another.

After they had found completion, they lay there, basking in each other's presence.

“I have something I want to show you. How I spent my three months.”

“You don't have to do this now, Rose.”

“You really need to see this.”

With those words, she placed her forehead against his. He felt like he was tumbling as he fell into her memories.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

_He gasped as he tumbled through her memories. She was on Gallifrey! But how? He could ask questions later because now, someone was talking to her. The woman talking startled Rose, but she quickly regained her composure. He felt the exact moment Rose realized who she was. He hadn't seen her in years. Centuries, even. After his name was struck from the Record, his father had banished him from the Household. As such, he never saw his mother again. It was good to see that she was alive and well._

_He wasn't so sure about Braxiatel. Joshua remembered him as the rigid sort, always following the rules while the Doctor usually broke them. He had the distinct suspicion that Braxiatel hated his younger brother. He couldn't help but feel relieved that he had treated Rose with the respect that she deserved._

_He was surprised to find out why she had disappeared. He suspected she was becoming part Time-Lord. Moreso than him. He never expected her to become a TARDIS as well. As the lessons progressed, he could see that it was true._

_He watched as she mastered each step. Moving through Space. Moving through Time. And taking someone with her. She was a TARDIS without the capsule. He could see how her mind had changed. She could sense Time Lines and her sense of Time had developed. All she had to do was think of a place and a Time and she could go there. It was profound. She was literally the soul of a TARDIS with the mind of a human. It was unheard of but also humbling._

_She would outlive him. She would outlive everyone, even Jack. She was bound to the Vortex. So long as it survived, she would as well. And the only way she would die would be the end of creation._

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

They pulled back from her memories. Rose could see the pain in his eyes at her impending fate. She kissed him softly.

“I chose this when I opened the Heart of the TARDIS. I chose you at that beach and I'm not leaving you. Don't feel guilty at something I chose.”


	36. Barcelona

** Barcelona **

Just after the holidays, they each quit their respective jobs. Torchwood was sorry to let Rose go but after having a private meeting with Pete, he understood. Rose told him everything. About how she could jump through Time like a TARDIS as well as her extended lifespan. He understood her need to leave.

Joshua's work wasn't nearly as forthcoming or appreciative. They demanded to know where this was coming from. Joshua had been one of the leading professors and they didn't want him to go. They begged, pleaded, and eventually threatened. Joshua didn't say a word after that. He turned and walked out, leaving them all dumbfounded.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua was excited. Sure, he wanted to travel again. But it would be liberating to be the Companion. He hadn't felt like that since Romana had traveled with him. But Rose would be the one in charge now. She had to be. She was the one with the longer lifespan. He wondered if he could handle relinquishing control. He wondered if she could handle all of the information in his head. Not now, but eventually it would probably aide her in her travels once he was gone. He vowed to offer once they were off.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

“So, where do you want to do first?” She grinned her signature grin, tongue in teeth and everything. He paused, considering, before answering.

“Actually, I think we should do something else first. There's something...something I want to give to you. Telepathically. I think it'll help you.” Rose quirked an eyebrow before nodding.

Joshua led her to their couch and placed his hands gently at her temples. While it wasn't necessary with their Bond, it helped him to concentrate.

Slowly, he began to pour the knowledge he had learned over the years into her mind. He started simply, but as he noticed how receptive she was to the information, he began pouring the advanced knowledge into her. He wanted her to know everything he knew. He wanted..he wanted her to be his legacy, he realized. To carry on when he was gone, doing what they had always done. He had no one else to pass his knowledge to.

They stayed that way for almost an hour. At first, he'd given her the information slowly. But as she processed the information quickly, he began pouring it into her mind quicker. After two hours, he'd given her all the knowledge he'd learned while in the Academy. It would take her a while to completely process and even longer before she would understand it fully, but she had plenty of Time. He would teach her what he could. For now, he placed her gently on their bed. She would sleep a full cycle that night.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Two days later found him in the one place he was never sure he would be with her. They landed with a thump, and he staggered, almost retching. Travel through the Vortex without a capsule always made his queasy. As a human, it was much worse. No wonder Martha had excused herself after they had landed from fleeing Utopia.

He glanced around where they had landed. Rose hadn't told him where she planned to take him. She'd wanted it to be a surprise and surprise it was.

Barcelona. The year was 3/Orange/4: about a billion years in their future. This was the height of their empire in their Original Universe and the same still seemed to hold true here. It didn't take them long at all to find a dog park. Rose spent inordinate amounts of time cooing over the animals. He smiled, watching her.

After a couple of hours with the dogs, they made their way to the market stalls. There were storefronts as well as outdoor market for them to peruse.

They ended up buying Jackie a scarf that changed colors based off of the wearer's mood. Joshua jokingly bought it, not really intending to give it to her, but Rose had giggled and said her Mum would love it, so long as she didn't catch on. They would probably let Pete in on the secret, though.

For Pete, they bought a small bottle of the local vintage wine. It wasn't much, but he could be a difficult person to buy for.

For Tony, they spotted a small book collection that they both thought he would enjoy. It chronicled a small boy's adventure's through space with his family.

They left the market stalls with their gifts, intent on heading home but Rose smelled something wonderful. After following their noses, they ended up in a cafe. They specialized in food from all over Barcelona. While it was similar to what they would expect from the Mediterranean city, the ingredients were different enough that it was a flavor all it's own.

They ended up finally jumping from their destination right after sunset. They had sat on a pier facing the sea and watched the sun set below the horizon before deciding to go home.


	37. Woman Wept 2.0

**Woman Wept 2.0**

It was another week before they visited another of their past haunts. They had spent the week in their usual manner, disposing of evil and overturning cruel rulers. They made sure to sleep each night at home. They were captured several times, and even though Rose could have swept them away easily, she didn't. They were there to make a difference and running away wouldn't make that happen.

She'd told him early that morning to dress warmly. He had no idea where she planned to take him, but he was excited. Their entire week had been bliss, as far as he was concerned. For the first time in a long time, he considered himself to be the Doctor. Not his copy or cheap imitation. They'd even taken to calling themselves the Doctor and the Wolf, just to keep their names secretive. Bouncing through Time, anonymity was crucial. It was one of the many lessons she had learned from the Doctor.

She found him sitting in their kitchen. She had put on a light jacket but had insisted that he dress warmer. One of the things they had noticed since they began jumping is Rose had a similar metabolism as a Time Lord. She could stand much cooler or warmer temperatures than a human. Her physiology seemed to change with every jump. This bothered Joshua, but he hadn't voiced his concern. Not yet, at least.

“You ready to go?”

“With you, always.”

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

They landed silently, barely stumbling. Rose had gotten better over the week. Even so, he'd learned to keep his eyes closed while in the Vortex. As soon as he felt solid ground under his feet, and the crisp, cold temperature, he opened his eyes. What he saw took his breath away.

“Do you like?”

“I...I wasn't sure this place existed in this Universe.” He gazed out towards the frozen waves, a smile slowly starting to take over his face. Rose took his hand and together, they walked in between the frozen waves.

They stopped after a few minutes of walking. Rose turned to him and took both of his hands in hers.

“How long are you going to stay with me?” Joshua blinked. He thought the answer was obvious.

“My forever.”

 


	38. Life Summary

**Life Summary**

Life continued, as it is wont to do, as they continued their adventures. Joshua kept up very well with Rose, even after his hair started greying at the temples. They spent their weeks saving the Universe and their weekends at the Tyler mansion. They watched Tony grow into a rebellious teen. More than once, Joshua had to track him down so Jackie wouldn't worry where he'd run off to. In these moments, Joshua would sit next to him and talk. He'd talk about his life on Gallifrey and how he'd felt trapped. He'd tell Tony how he stole the TARDIS when he was basically just a teen. Eventually, Tony would go home and apologize to his parents.

By the time he was ready to go to University, Tony Tyler had learned more about Joshua and the Doctor than anyone, except Rose. Because of this, Tony decided to walk in Joshua and Rose's footsteps. He majored in Theoretical Physics with a minor in Business. Eventually, he hoped to take over Vitex. He never thought anything of Torchwood. Sure, he was a junior agent, but unlike Rose, he wanted to focus on his studies first. His entire family was proud of him for that.

Eventually, he did end up becoming a full agent, but that wasn't until later. By that time, he had a Doctorate under his belt. He was exceptionally smart. His expertise was focused mostly in R&D with the occasional field work. But all-in-all, Tony Tyler had followed in his family's footsteps.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Joshua was almost fifty-five before their first big disaster. It wasn't to himself, though, but to Tony. Tony had been injured chasing a Slitheen. The were just as ruthless in this Universe as their own. None of the injuries were life-threatening, but they did take Tony away from field work for a considerable amount of time. Pete's health had been steadily declining. He'd had to get a pace-maker. After Tony's accident, Pete pulled him aside and began teaching him how to run the family businesses.

With both of them unable to really do field work, Tony began absorbing all the knowledge he could from his father. By age thirty, he became the youngest Director of Torchwood, by a unanimous vote. Pete Tyler retired, knowing his companies were in good hands. Even more importantly, the secrets of the family would stay sealed for that much longer. Rose and Joshua had time to finish out their lives.

Pete Tyler was a smart man. He knew that if certain other people in Torchwood became aware of Rose's changed physiology, she would become a science experiment. So long as Tony was in charge, he had no fear of that happening.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Jackie Tyler was seventy when she received the news. She was dying. Oh, she knew that Rose and Joshua could whisk her away and find a cure, but she was strangely okay with dying. She had cancer. Not breast or ovarian, that could be cured easily. It was intestinal cancer. She was given six months to live.

Rose was devastated when she found out. She begged and pleaded with with her mother to let her take her to the future, where they could cure her. Jackie patted Rose's hand gently.

“Everything has a time, Rose. Everything dies. I've lived a long life and didn't think I would get to have the life I had with Pete and Tony. You and the Doctor made that happen.”

“But I don't want to lose you.”

“Sweetheart, you're going to outlive all of us. And you're supposed to outlive me.”

“But not like this.”

“Maybe not. But it's how things happen, Rose. And it is how it will happen. You'll outlive us all. And one day, when you're ready, when you've stopped mourning, you'll go find that mad man and be with him. Long after Joshua is gone, that's what you'll do. Because you deserve to be happy, sweetheart. And so does he.”

“He left me.”

“With himself. I can't begin to know what kind of love that would take. He wanted you to have your happy ending with a himself, even if he couldn't be here. Not that version. But one day, you'll get back to him.”

“I don't...I don't want to talk about it.”

“Fair enough. Let's go sit. Tony should in by soon. I'm sure the entire family will be in tow.”

 


	39. The Death of Her Parents

** The Death of Her Parents **

Rose and Joshua decided to stay on Earth for a while, especially since Jackie had gotten ill. However, it wasn't Jackie who succumbed first.

Pete's pacemaker was recalled due to a malfunction. There wasn't anything any of them could do, however. He refused to go through another surgery to replace it.

His death happened suddenly. The pacemaker had started malfunctioning in the last week or two and couldn't keep up the perfect rhythm of his heart. The family knew, once it started malfunctioning, that he probably wouldn't be with them for much longer. His body had become dependent on the machine. And as much as it saddened them all, they agreed to let him make the decision.

Thankfully, for everyone involved, it happened in his sleep. Joshua and Rose heard Jackie screaming in the early hours of the morning. Each woke quickly and ran to her parents' room. Rose grabbed Jackie and backed her away from the bed and out of the room. Joshua donned his glasses and scanned Pete with his sonic. The device confirmed what he already knew to be truth. Pete Tyler had passed away peacefully in his sleep. His heart had stopped working.

It didn't take long for Tony to appear in the room. His wife and children lived in another wing of the mansion and he hadn't heard the screaming. He stared down at the lifeless body of his father and wept silently.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

After Pete's death, Jackie Tyler gave up. She stopped eating. She stopped sleeping. She just sat on the swing in their back yard, staring into nothingness. Rose had never seen her mother this despondent. She knew there wasn't anything she could do except sit with her and comfort her. Joshua had taken to running the household duties, freeing Tony, Rose and Jackie from those responsibilities.

After a month, the toll the cancer was taking on her body became apparent. Between the cancer and not eating, Jackie Tyler was basically a skeleton. Jackie was placed on bed rest with an attending nurse to keep her comfortable. Ten days later, Jackie Tyler passed. Across the cosmos, the Howl of the Wolf was heard.


	40. Solitude

**Solitude**

Rose became a bit of a recluse after her parents deaths. Not even Joshua could rouse her from her melancholy. Their trips stopped and they found themselves back on the slow path.

He wanted to feel betrayed, but he couldn't. Not when the love of all his lives was obviously mourning. He missed their trips but he would sacrifice all of that in an instant to make her happy again.

Joshua threw himself headlong into doing small, romantic things to break Rose from her melancholy. He knew she needed to mourn, but it was quickly becoming a long-seeded depression. This wasn't something he was used to seeing in his Bond-Mate and it weighed heavily on his hearts. She hadn't been like this since they discovered they couldn't have children.

He decided to woo her properly, again. He knew she needed to mourn and deserved to, but she also needed to laugh and love and live.

He started with small things. Notes on her bedside table. Her favorite tea already prepared when she entered the Kitchen. After a dew days, he escalated things. Swaying softly in the Living Room while music played in the background. Lunch dates. Then dinner dates. It took two months before Rose started really smiling again.

It was another month before Rose finally decided she was ready to start traveling again.

 


	41. The Doctor's Demise

**The Doctor's Demise**

After Joshua turned sixty, he began slowing down. He was healthy for his age, for sure, but he couldn't quite keep up with his companion. The irony didn't escape him. But Rose was content to slow down. They no longer jumped into the middle of chaos. Rose carefully steered them towards relaxing spots. Vacations and leisure.

By the time he was seventy, he couldn't make the jumps any more. His body reacted violently to the shift between traveling the Vortex and their landings. So they stayed home. Rose would occasionally make jumps without him. When she would return, she would regal him with tales of her travels. Usually, she would let him walk through her memories and experience them almost as if he were there.

Joshua's body began failing as he turned eighty. He was tired all of the time and his vision was failing. His body was finally betraying him.

Tony and his family would come around often and the house would once again be filled with laughter. Joshua loved seeing Tony's grandchildren.

Rose stayed by his side for the last of Joshua's life, never leaving. She stopped going on adventures, content to stay by her husband's side.

The last year of his life was the most difficult. His body had completely failed him. He was hooked to machines and his mind had deteriorated. Often, he would look at Rose and not see her at all. Other times, he would know who she was, but not the intimacy they had shared. When he became like this, it reminded Rose of her first Doctor.

Eventually, it seemed his mind had failed completely. He slept for hours and barely acknowledged anyone when he was awake.

One morning, Rose was woken by his frantic screaming through their telepathic connections. She flew to his side immediately, and grasped his hand. His last words filtered through her mind.

“ _Get back to him, Rose. Find a way. He still...we will always love you. Remember that.”_

With a last, agonizing breath, Joshua Noble was no more. As her mate perished, the Wolf howled and the Universe mourned with her.


	42. Madness

**Madness**

Rose Tyler was a recluse. After the death of her husband, she secluded away in the mansion, never venturing out. Tony attempted, at one time or another, to try to visit his sister, but the hid in the massive house. Finally, he gave up.

Rose held a very private funeral, burning her husband on a funeral pyre, much like he had the Master. Despite him being mostly human, he still had a bit of Time Lord DNA and no one could have that. She screamed and howled until the fire was nothing but cinders. She manipulated the atoms in the air around her and whisked the ashes of her husband into the stars, where he could lay in eternity.

She returned to the house, more melancholy than ever. She would have attempted suicide, but knew it would be of no use. One thing she'd learned during her stint of Gallifrey is that Time moved through her like a sieve, unlike Jack, whom Time avoided. Her life was tied to the Vortex and nothing could kill her. Incapacitate her, yes, but not kill. So Rose was left to suffer in her despair with no chance of relief.

She withdrew into herself, reliving her life and the memories she had with those who were lost. Her Mum and Dad, Joshua and even the Doctor swam through her vision. She was in a living nightmare. Rose was left again and again by those she loved.

 


	43. Director Tony Tyler

**Director Tony Tyler**

Anthony Tyler had taken over as the Director of Torchwood shortly before his father's death. The Torchwood that his father had built was strong and centered mostly on helping. Whether it was the world or helping stranded or lost aliens, Torchwood helped.

After he took over the reigns, he tried to steer it towards the same designs his father had. It went fine, at first. But as time progressed, Tony began hearing whispers. There were those who worked for Torchwood who wanted to go back to the old motto: _“If it's alien, it's ours.”_

The whispers became stronger after Joshua's death. He'd tried going to his sister, to warn her. But she was buried in her grief and wouldn't let him in. He understood it, even if it broke his heart.

When rumors of the old Tyler mansion being haunted reached his ears, Tony was on edge. Some of his operatives had acted out of line recently. They weren't outright defying him, but their actions bordered on insubordination. They also bordered on breaking Intergalactic Law. But, he had no proof. The only person he knew who could get to the bottom of this was his sister. He couldn't even trust his own operatives. Even a few of the Council had been more brutal lately and others were pressuring him to retire. He shuddered to think of what would happen once he was gone, so he held on as long as he could.

It was Christmas Eve when he was finally able to breach the security of the little branch of Torchwood. What he found made his skin crawl and it took everything in him not to lose his lunch. They were planning on going after whatever was haunting the Tyler mansion, and they would be making their move soon. Tony had to protect his sister.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Tony stood outside the gates of his childhood home and shivered. It seemed unnaturally cold, even for this time of year. Wind whipped around the mansion and it took him a moment to realize that it wasn't naturally occurring. No wonder people thought the place was haunted. If he hadn't known the story and the reasons behind it, he would've thought the same thing.

He stepped gingerly passed the gate, afraid to break his sister's solitude. He understood her grief and wanted to let her grieve but forces were moving and she was no longer safe.

By the time he reached the mansion, the wind was stinging. He didn't bother knocking on the door. The mansion was just as much his home as it was hers at one time. He pushed the door open and stepped inside.

After the roaring winds, the interior of the house was deafeningly silent. His breathing sounded harsh in his own ears and he guessed she probably already knew he was here. He stepped into the foyer where he'd grown up and gasped at the damage. The place was trashed. Mementos, pictures and even furniture looked like they had been thrown. There wasn't a single thing that hadn't been broken. Sitting in the middle of the carnage was Rose.

He took in her appearance and his heart broke for her even more. Their parents' death had been hard on her. He couldn't think how difficult Joshua's death had been. He approached her slowly.

“Rose.” She didn't move. He tried again.

“Rose.” She still didn't answer or give any indication she had heard him. He stepped in front of her and sat, facing her. Rose's eyes were open but moving rapidly, as if she were dreaming. He'd seen the same thing in aliens who had suffered severe trauma before Torchwood found them. More often than not, it took extensive therapy before they could even function properly in society. He knew that Rose was reliving her past traumas and he didn't know how to get through to her.

He did the only thing he could think of. He grabbed her hands in his own and squeezed. Her eyes stopped moving and her breath slowed marginally. He took that as a good sign.

“Rose.” She blinked slowly but still looked straight ahead.

“Torchwood knows about you. They plan to come and find you and take you away. I need you to wake up and run.”

“It's too late, Director Tyler.” Tony froze on the spot. Rose froze as well, recognizing the voice. It belonged to Spencer Davis, the next in command after Tony. “Your father was a good man. A visionary. But he had too much of a soft spot for extraterrestrials and now we know why. How long have you harbored this Abomination?”

Tony felt Rose flinch at the use of that word. She lifted her eyes to his and for the first time since he walked through the door, her eyes were clear.

“We've harbored her my entire life. She's my sister.”

“There's no way you are related. She's not even human.” For the first time, Rose spoke.

“I haven't been human for a long time. But that doesn't mean I didn't start out that way.”

“You can't just change your species.”

“If that's what you think...” Rose didn't finish the statement. A shot rang out. She screamed as she watched Tony's body fall to the side. The agents who had invaded her home had shot her brother. The last remnant of her humanity. Her eyes glowed as she stood and the wind that whipped outside the house was suddenly inside.

“That was the wrong move, Spencer. Tony was the only thing holding me back. Do you really want to know what I can do?” Rose arched an eyebrow at him before flicking her hand. One by one, his agents disintegrated. “I can unravel you, atom by atom.”

Spencer raised his gun, unfazed. Another shot rang out. Spencer expected Rose to fall, just as her brother had. Apparently, he'd completely missed the fact that she was basically a goddess. In a blink, she was gone.

Spencer glared down at the former Director's body.

“No matter where she runs and hides, Torchwood will always be there. Maybe you should have thought of that before running to protect her.”

 


	44. Running From Torchwood

**Running From Torchwood**

Rose staggered as she landed. She'd jumped without an idea of where she was going and instinctively had ended up at Torchwood. This place had consumed much of her life, as well as her husband's. Her entire family had been consumed. She really didn't want to be here. She took a deep breath before making her way further into the Lion's Den.

It took Rose getting to the old Technology Department before she finally figured out what felt so wrong about the place. When she'd worked here, someone was always in the building. It was much busier during the day time, for sure, but at night there was at least a skeleton crew. There was no way she should have made it this far without getting caught.

That realization didn't stop her, however. She needed gear and clothes. It didn't take Rose long to find a couple of blasters she favored. Both had a stun setting, which she set her main weapon to. Her secondary she kept on lethal. If she had to reach for that secondary weapon, she mused that she would probably need it. Her first choice, however, would always be to hide.

She raided the locker room next. She dressed in black fatigues. She even managed to find a shoulder holster that would fit her smaller frame. She'd neglected her body badly after Joshua's death and though she never died, you could tell. Her body had withdrawn into itself. She looked like skin pulled taunt over a skeleton. And while her soul still felt the absence of her Bond-mate, she knew she couldn't let herself wither away. Her mourning period was over.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

The first thing Rose did, after kitting herself, was to get some food. Not just a hot meal in her belly, although that was essential, but also some things she could take with her. Conjuring things from thin air was within her abilities, but it also left her drained. Not something she could really afford. Not if she were running. So a hot meal, a long bath, and a night's sleep.

By the morning, even with the small amount she had treated her body, she could tell that it had helped. Ever small bit. She was at a loss as to what she needed to do next but then it dawned on her. There was no way her father could have known exactly where to jump to catch her when she was falling towards the Void. So Torchwood Tower was her next stop.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

It took far longer than she'd like to convince Pete that he needed to make one last jump. And when he did, Rose could feel that part of the Time Line cement. She still couldn't get back. That way was closed to her forever. Besides, she felt she still had unfinished business. She left her family to live their lives as she remembered, wiping her family's recollection of this version of her before going. It would do no one any good to remember the hollow, soldierized person she had become. They would figure it out in time anyway.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

The next place Rose found herself was a planet she'd never visited before, in either Universe. A least at first glance. The streets were muddy and she would have thought it a bit technologically stunted. Upon entering what appeared to be a pub, she could tell it was just on the exterior. The inside was much more advanced than even her own time. Expanding her senses, she found herself to be in the year 5000, on Earth. Aliens of all shapes and forms were inside of the pub. Quite a number of years further past her time but she felt herself relax. Torchwood shouldn't reach her here.

Oh how wrong she was.

 


	45. The End of the Universe

** The End of the Universe **

They came for her in the middle of the night. She had tried to lay low, as boring as that had been. Sure, she'd disposed of a few thugs, and most knew to stay away from her and “her” neighborhood. Those same thugs had listened to the whispers of a powerful organization looking for someone resembling the blond avenger. They followed her, keeping a respectable distance out of fear.

Rose wasn't even aware of the intruders until they had her hands bound. Before she could think and try to escape, she felt a needle press into her skin and everything went black.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

When Rose finally awoke, it was only to find herself strapped to a table. She was still groggy, but could tell that she had an IV line in as well as something sticking to her all over her body. She was also completely nude. Every last shred of her humanity and dignity stripped from her. She hoped that the longer she was awake, the more coherent she would become but after laying there for a while, the groggy feeling never left. She hovered on the edges of sleep until she heard the door click and suddenly, she wasn't alone.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

The clattering of metal on metal sends a shot of adrenalin through Rose. She's almost coherent enough to take in her surroundings properly and maybe even devise an escape.

“I wouldn't, if I were you.” Rose angled her head towards the voice, but can't see the figure. She searched the room frantically before suddenly, he was standing directly over her.

“You see, Mrs. Noble, we've had thousands of years to devise a way to keep you in one place. Your disappearing trick soon after Torchwood's creation had the leader at the time sequester away not only your medical records, but also a small division of labor to develop a way to sedate you. Most we've tested this on die within a few minutes. But you...you have been here for two days now. At our complete mercy, I might add. Don't worry, no one had touched you. We wanted you awake when we started on you.”

Without further preamble, the scalpel he held in his hand broke Rose's skin and she screamed.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

That first day, Rose learned many things. First, she couldn't die. She couldn't even really be hurt, not for long. Any damage that was afflicted on her healed almost immediately. It frustrated her captors, but she hoped.

The second, was that even though she was basically immortal, some combinations of drugs still worked on her. Specifically, most things that would work on a Time Lord. She was afraid this would happen at some point. She just didn't think it would happen this soon or in a Universe that didn't have Time Lords.

Third, torture _hurt_. It wasn't just the physical wounds, either. The entire time he worked on her, the man spoke. He assured her that it was her fault that her brother had died. He even went so far as to tell her it was her fault that her mother, father, and husband had also died, even though they led full lives.

The next day wasn't nearly so simple. The wounds became larger, harder to heal quickly. Her body took care of it automatically, but it was more difficult to heal multiple bullet wounds. Being impaled was one of the worst but it was the poison that weakened her the most. Through it all, they would watch her energy levels. The moment they got too high, the torture would stop long enough for them to sedate her again. She would heal over night and the next day, the pain would begin again. Not once did they let her off the table.

Rose felt her body and mind weakening. With each cut of a blade, her control over herself crumbled. She couldn't die. Not that they would let her test that theory. But with how quickly her cells replaced themselves from the damage, she didn't think she could. But she could be kept in immense pain for days on end. So that's what they did. They broke her body as they tried to break her mind.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Rose soon lost track of how long she had been bound to the table. Time, her one constant companion, seemed to abandon her in the endless pain that she had to endure. It seemed to stretch on forever with her mind slowly cracking. She felt that there would never be an end. She felt that she had been at their mercy her entire life. She could scarcely remember what her life had been like before the torture.

Another of her torturers leaned over her. He bent close to her ear, seemingly sure that his next words would break her.

“Your precious Doctor isn't coming, Rose.”

Everything seemed to click in place for her. Where she was. Her life, before here. And how much Time had passed. Five and a half years. Well, he had always said that five and a half was the amount of time to wait. He'd meant hours, but it seemed fitting. A rage built quickly in Rose, burning away the last of the sedatives they dosed her with. For the first time, Rose knew she could defeat them. She barely registered the beeping of the machines before her shackles dissolved along with the various node attached to her. The man scrambled back from her in fear. Good, he needed to fear her.

**~DW~~DW~~DW~**

Rose strode from the room to confront the armed guards in the hallway. They immediately began opening fire. Most of the bullets dissolved long before they reached her, however, a few did make it through. They hit her, but her steps barely faltered. Instead of the red they expected to see, the wounds glowed gold before closing

Anger, like she had never felt, coursed through her. They had tortured her for years. To gain what, she would never know. She raised her hands and spread her fingers.

“Everything ends, and everything dies.”

With that, she erupted in a fire of gold. In seconds, the planet was consumed. In minutes, the Universe. Everything burned with her.

When the burning stopped, she found herself enveloped through an endless darkness.


	46. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Death was not anyway how she imagined it. Death felt like nothing, and everything.

She floated for eternity. It could have been seconds or centuries. Time had no place here. Memory had no place here. She forgot herself, floating in the nothingness. She forgot her commitment and her promise.

She forgot everything, until she heard the song. A song that inspired hope to whomever heard it. It started so faintly that she thought she imagined it. But gradually, it became louder and she was more sure that she heard it, even if she couldn't remember what it meant. She followed the song to the edges of eternity, and she fell.

  
  


  
  


My Next Story "Time Rewritten" will be posted starting in December.


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